


Resurrected

by samsimpala



Series: The Messenger of God Saga [12]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angels, Demons, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 46
Words: 97,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27114656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samsimpala/pseuds/samsimpala
Summary: After Angela helped God and Amara repair their relationship, Amara returned the favor by bringing Mary Winchester and Robert Morgan back to life. How will Sam, Dean, and Angela process the fact that their parents are back from the dead? And how will Robert and Mary adjust? Find out in Resurrected, the 11th installment of the Messenger of God Saga! Sam/OC, revision of season 12.
Relationships: Sam Winchester/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Messenger of God Saga [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888270
Kudos: 3





	1. Keep Calm & Carry On Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys, welcome to Resurrected! This is the 11th installment in the Messenger of God Saga! It involves my OC Angela Morgan and the daughter she had with Sam, Grace Elizabeth Winchester. This will be a revision of season 12 and will be written from the Winchesters' POV, so some scenes will be cut out. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do now own Supernatural or the characters! Just Angie and Grace :)

Robert, Mary, and Angela were in the park in the dead of night. Angela looked down at the phone in her hand and put it in her pocket. She stared at her father in shock, not really believing that he was back after 15 years… When he died, Angela was 18 years old. The young woman in front of him definitely _looked_ like Angela, but she was in her 30's…

"Dad?" her voice cracked. "Are… are you… really… real?"

As Angela tentatively approached her father, Mary went to grab her arm in defense. However, Robert quickly stopped Mary from tackling his daughter.

"Pumpkin?" Robert breathed out. "Is it really you, Angie?"

"Where am I?" Mary demanded angrily as she glared at Angela. "Who the hell are you?"

"Mary—

"I'm—I'm Angela Winchester," she told Mary, interrupting her father. "Your son, Sam Winchester, he's my husband."

"You're married?" Robert's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No." Mary shook her head. "My Sammy is 6-months-old. Robert's daughter, Angela, is the same age as him."

Angela let out a shaky breath. "He was when you died, Mary. The same day my mother, Lillian Ann died."

Mary gasped and her eyes widened as she remembered the night she died. She leaned into Robert's hold, finding comfort in his familiarity.

"I burned… in 1983…" Mary whispered. "How long have I been gone?"

"33 years," Angela replied gently before turning to her father. "Dad… you've been gone for… for 15."

Robert pulled away from Mary and moved toward his daughter. He soaked in the sight of her before pulling her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Hi, Dad." Angela's voice cracked.

~/~\~

As the sun started rising, Robert, Angela, and Mary sat on one of the park benches.

"My boys… they were raised to…?" Mary frowned.

Angela nodded. "From what they've told me, after you died, John became… different. Obsessed with hunting."

"How did John die?" Mary inquired.

"Mary, I think Sam and Dean should be the ones to tell you," Angela replied softly, earning an understanding nod from the older woman.

"And you said we've met before, when you traveled through time," Mary noted.

"Twice," Angela nodded. "Your memory and my mom's got wiped, so…"

"And God's… _sister_ brought us back to life?" Robert frowned in confusion.

"Pretty much," Angela confirmed. "It's a lot, for both of you. And I know it's a lot. And I'll explain everything. I will. But right now, let's get out of here. Let's get you guys home. Come on."

Angela, Mary, and Robert got up off the bench. Angela placed a comforting hand on Mary's shoulder and took her father's hand in her free one.

~/~\~

Toni Bevell knocked on a door while a rooster crowed in the distance. Behind Toni were her SUV and a man. The door opened to reveal a young-looking man.

"Dr. Gregory Marion?" Toni inquired, her British accent thick.

"Uh-huh." The man nodded.

"I need your help."

"It's—it's 6:00 a.m." Gregory frowned.

"It's an emergency." Toni walked down the steps headed toward the SUV.

"Lady, hold up," Gregory followed her.

"You have a clinic at the back of your house. I trust it's fully stocked."

"Lady. Lady, seriously," Gregory stressed. "Unless your uh—your puggle got hit by a car or something, it can wait."

"It really can't," Toni assured.

There was a beeping sound as the trunk of the SUV opened to reveal Sam and Dean laying in the back, trussed up and clearly in distress.

"They were shot in the leg," Toni explained casually. "Each with a single, .38-caliber bullet. I need the rounds dug out, the wounds sutured, and some anesthesia to go."

"No. No way." Gregory shook his head. "I'm a veterinarian."

"Animals, people." Toni shrugged. "They're all meat. But I understand this is an unusual request, and I want to do everything I can to ease your concerns."

"Yeah, not happening. Mnh-mnh."

Toni opened a bag and showed Gregory the great deal of money that was in the bag. "Hear me out."

~/~\~

_Aldrich, Missouri_

Sam and Dean were each chained to chairs that were placed over a drain. A woman walked over and used a cattle prod on the unconscious Winchesters, causing them to each groan in pain.

"Be good, boys." The woman smirked devilishly.

"You," Dean grunted as Toni walked down the stairs.

Toni sat down across from the boys and pulled out a book, then a pen. She took off the cap and placed it on the table situated next to her. "Now, boys. Let's begin."

~/~\~

"Toni Bevell, London Chapterhouse," Sam commented.

"That's right."

"So, you're what? You're, uh, English Men of Letters?" Dean scoffed.

"British." Toni corrected.

"Same difference," Dean grumbled.

"Where are we?" Sam demanded as Toni wrote in her book.

"Does it matter?"

"Just wondering how far we're gonna have to walk back to town after we kill you." Sam retorted. "And her. But you first."

"Yes, well, before you murder us all, we do have a few questions about you two, your wife Angela, hunters in America, and how you saved the sun."

Dean chuckled. "Right. You shoot up, kidnap us, but yeah, happy to help."

"I didn't want to hurt you two, Dean. You gave me no choice." Toni explained. "And, well, I could say it was never supposed to go this way, but you're… you. It was always going to go this way."

"And you know us?" Sam scoffed.

"We do." Toni nodded. "We've been watching you boys and Angela for years. Ever since you almost ended the world the first time. We knew all about Lucifer, the angels falling."

"Then where were you?" Dean questioned.

"Fair question. See, some of us wanted to get involved, but the old men wouldn't allow it." Toni explained. "Thought we were overstepping our bounds. After all this business with the Darkness, even they have to agree, things need to change. And while you might not believe this, we're here to help."

"Yeah, no, w-we can tell." Dean retorted, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"I want to apologize for locking you boys up," Toni started. "You're dangerous—to others and yourselves—but if you answer my questions, you two walk right out that door. I promise."

Sam and Dean looked at each other before looking back at Toni.

"Pass." The brothers replied simultaneously.

"Sam, Dean," Toni sighed deeply.

"You can ask us any kind of questions you want," Sam started. "The answer's gonna be the exact same—Screw you. You want to get mad? You want to get mean? I've been tortured by the Devil himself and Dean's been to Hell." Sam scoffed. "So you, you're just an accent in a pantsuit. What can you do to us?"

Toni placed the cap back on the pen with a click. She nodded to Ms. Watts, who turned on the water. A hose led to a point above Sam and Dean's heads as cold water rained down on them.

"A cold shower? That's your play?" Dean scoffed. "Screw you, bitch."

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Angela, Mary, and Robert walked into the bunker.

"You live here?" Mary asked as she looked around in awe.

"Yeah, when we're not on the road," Angela nodded. "It's an old Men of Letters bunker."

"Men of Letters?" Robert's brows furrowed. "They're a myth. An old Hunter's story."

"Not so much," Angela replied before looking at Mary. "New duds look good."

"Well, thanks. It's better than walking around in that nightgown the rest—

Angela, Mary, and Robert noticed several large splatters of blood on the floor.

"That's blood," Mary noted obviously.

"Yeah," Angela muttered.

She removed her gun and cocked it. Walking forward, she checked out the immediate area and noticed a sigil on the wall.

"Sammy? Dean?" Angela called out. "Gracie? Cas?"

Angela pulled two guns out from under the table and handed them to Mary and Robert. "Take these. Stay here." She instructed before walking off to check out the bunker.

"Angie," Robert called out in concern.

~/~\~

"Guys?" Angela called out as she started to clear the rooms.

Grace poked her head out of her bedroom and her eyes widened. "Mommy!"

Angela turned and immediately put her gun in her waistband as she knelt in front of her daughter. "Grace, what happened?"

"Scary lady," Grace hugged her mother tightly. "Daddy said run."

"Okay," Angela nodded. "You did good, baby girl. You did good."

~/~\~

Angela walked back into the library with Grace at her heels. Angela frowned in concern when she noticed Mary and Robert had their guns trained on Castiel.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" she exclaimed. "It's okay. It's okay. He's a friend, all right?" she assured before smiling gently at the angel. "Hey, Cas."

A relieved Castiel stepped forward and embraced Angela. "Angela!"

"Hey," she hugged him back. "Okay. All right, hon."

"Angela," Castiel's brows furrowed in confusion. "You're alive?"

"Yeah." Angela nodded in confirmation.

"What about the bomb and the Darkness? What happened?"

"I'll tell you everything," Angela promised. "Where are Sam and Dean?"

"They're not here." Castiel shook his head.

"Are you a hunter?" Robert demanded.

"No, I'm an angel," Castiel replied.

"Come again?" Mary's brows shot up.

"An angel, with a-a capital 'A.'" Angela smiled. "You know, wings, halo. Dad, Mary, this is Castiel."

"Ghosts." Gracie breathed out with wide eyes as she stared at Robert and Mary.

Angela picked Grace up. "Gracie, they're not ghosts. They're your grandparents. That's my dad, and Mary is your daddy's mom."

"We're grandparents?" Robert asked in disbelief.

Angela nodded with a smile. "Dad, Mary, this is your granddaughter, Grace Elizabeth Winchester."

"She looks so much like Sam." Mary gasped.

"Say hi, Gracie." Angela murmured.

Grace waved shyly at her grandparents. "Hi."

"Now, Cas, where—where are Sam and Dean?" Angela asked worriedly. "Grace had Sam's phone, a-and Dean's not answering his. There's blood on the floor. What's going on?"

"I don't know," Castiel admitted. "We came back here, there was a woman waiting for us. She blasted me away. I don't know who she was. I don't know what happened to Sam and Dean."

"I don't understand," Mary cut in. "What happened?"

"Okay, well, the bunker's empty, so—so, they've obviously left here," Angela muttered. "You said woman—not an angel, not a demon, a—a human."

"She was human." Castiel nodded.

"When did this go down?" Angela asked as she set Grace down and walked to one of the tables, grabbing her laptop.

"It was 2:12 a.m." Castiel replied.

"Is that a—a computer?" Mary asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Castiel muttered. "I don't trust them."

"Got something," Angela commented. "An SUV ran a red light a few blocks from here at 2:21 a.m. And there wasn't another car for 40 minutes."

"How did you do that?" Mary asked curiously.

"I hacked the traffic cams. Welcome to the future." Angela replied with a small smile.

"You think it's them?" Castiel inquired.

"It's worth a shot."

~/~\~

Angela, Robert, Mary, Castiel, and Grace walked into the bunker garage. Angela switched the light on and Mary stopped walking when she saw the Impala.

"Mary?" Angela frowned in concern.

Exhaling sharply, Mary walked toward the Impala and ran her hand lightly over the car. "This was John's car. Oh, she's still beautiful."

"Yeah," Angela agreed. "Dean takes really great care of her."

"I remember when John bought that car." Robert laughed. "Mary, you were so ticked when he came home without that van."

Mary rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face. "Hi, sweetheart. Remember me?"

Mary leaned down and looked into the car. She started looking at the front seat, but her eyes and thoughts lingered on the back seat.

"We should go." Robert cleared his throat.

~/~\~

_Aldrich, Missouri_

The freezing water was still pouring over the brothers, who were shivering. Ms. Watts finally shut off the water.

"Can I end this, please?" Toni quirked a brow.

"Screw you." Sam spat as he shivered.

"What do you imagine is happening here? Do you think you're being brave, that you're the heroes of this story?" Toni questioned. "Well, you two are no heroes. You're just bad at your job."

"Yeah, and you're better?" Dean glared.

"So much better." Toni nodded. "You drive back roads, catching cases at random. You get word a body's dropped, you check it out, and maybe you even kill the thing that did it. But that person is still dead, and maybe a few more. But my people? We plan ahead." She explained. "We study lore, and we use it against our enemies. Back home, every thoroughfare, every bridge, every dock, every airport has been warded. The moment a monster steps foot in Britain, we know about it. Within 20 minutes, he's been picked up. And within 40, he's dead. There hasn't been a monster-related death in Britain since 1965 because we are good at our job." She stressed. "Now, you two were always lost causes, but I'm hoping there are other Hunters we can work with, teach. So, I need you to give me names and locations and everything else. Dead drops, meeting places, an organizational hierarchy, because maybe with all of us working together, we can do what you never could—make America safe."

"Or maybe you tie them to a chair." Sam glared. "Maybe you do worse. So, maybe… maybe you can go to Hell."

Toni pursed her lips. "Hmm. Have it your way."

Toni nodded to Ms. Watts before she walked up the stairs and closed the door. Ms. Watts lit a blow torch and stalked toward Sam.

"Are you really gonna make me do this?"

"Screw… you." Sam bit out.

"You get away from him, you bitch!" Dean struggled against his bonds.

Ms. Watts squatted down and side-eyed Dean. "Wait your turn." She retorted before she brought the blow torch toward Sam's right foot.

Sam attempted to move his foot away. "No! Don't. Don't. Don't."

As the blow torch burned his foot, a scream ripped through Sam's throat.


	2. Keep Calm & Carry On Part 2

Angela, Castiel, Robert, and Mary walked into a garage where the driver of the SUV was working on the vehicle. Angela held Grace on her hip.

"Jamie Ross?" Castiel asked.

"Who's asking?"

Castiel stepped forward. "The blonde woman that you drove yesterday, what was her name?"

"Blonde? Sorry, mate, you got the wrong—

Castiel interrupted Jamie by headbutting him twice.

"Cas!" Angela warned.

"That's an angel?" Mary looked at Angela skeptically.

"Blonde. Name. Now." Castiel demanded.

"I—I—I don't know her name." Jamie stammered.

"What do you know?" Castiel narrowed his eyes.

~/~\~

Angela walked over to the restaurant table and sat down.

"Find anything?" Castiel asked as Grace played with his tie.

"Yeah, ran the, uh, tail number that what's-his-face gave us," Angela started. "The plane that Evil Elsa flew in on has diplomatic registry."

"Which means?" Mary asked curiously.

"Which means, its flight plans are sealed unless you want to hack the State Department." Angela sighed heavily.

"Who are these people?" Robert frowned deeply.

Castiel looked up and spotted Gregory Marion's vehicle. "Angela."

Angela looked around and saw the vehicle head toward the veterinary clinic. Gregory unloaded his vehicle and walked toward the clinic door. Angela walked quietly up behind him and placed her gun to Gregory's neck.

"Dr. Marion," Angela started. "How about you let us in?"

~/~\~

Gregory sat in front of his desk with Castiel, Angela, Mary, and Robert standing before him. Castiel held Grace in his arms.

"So, you dug the bullets out of their legs, no questions asked?" Angela raised her brows.

"She offered me 100 grand." Gregory defended.

"And you took it?" Mary scoffed.

"Students loans were a bitch, okay?"

Castiel set Grace down and angrily stalked toward Gregory.

"Cas!" Angela exclaimed. "Don't hurt him. Not yet."

"All right, look, she didn't give me her name," Gregory said honestly. "When we were done, the driver bailed, I got paid, and then some other chick shows up, and they all drive away."

"And that's everything you know?" Robert questioned.

"Yeah. Totally." Gregory replied insincerely.

"Hurt him." Mary narrowed her eyes.

Castiel stepped forward and grabbed Gregory by his collar.

"Oh, oh, ahh! I have her phone number!" Gregory revealed. "Okay? Okay, look, look, look. Look, I don't know where they are, but she called me a couple hours ago—a few hours ago, asking about the sedative I gave the guys. So… I've got her phone number."

~/~\~

_Aldrich, Missouri_

Sam groggily came out of unconsciousness. He and Dean were on the floor, unchained, and each of their burned feet had been wrapped up. Sam looked around, realizing that he and Dean were alone in the cellar.

"Dean," he whispered to his still unconscious brother. "Dean."

Sam touched his neck and felt a needle puncture. Looking up, he spotted a camera and realized they were being watched.

~/~\~

Toni and Ms. Watts were watching Sam and Dean on a screen.

"I don't think it's working." Ms. Watts commented.

"Wait. Soon, they'll be begging to answer our questions." Toni assured. "Anything to make it stop." She added as her cell phone started ringing. "Dr. Marion."

 _"Yeah,"_ Gregory's voice rang through. _"I'm just calling, you know, to, uh, check on the patients."_

Toni's brows furrowed slightly. "Is everything all right, doctor?"

_"Yeah, yeah, sure. Definitely."_

"I'm hanging up now," Toni replied.

_"Uh—_

_"Listen, bitch,"_ Angela's voice rang through threateningly. _"I don't care who you are, I don't care what you want. You have my husband and my brother-in-law."_

"Angela Winchester," Toni greeted. "I heard you were dead."

 _"Well, you heard wrong."_ Angela retorted. _"Now, I'm gonna give you one chance—just one—to hand Sam and Dean back."_

"Sorry. Not possible."

 _"Oh, you think you can run from me?"_ Angela scoffed. _"Try it. Because when I find you—and I will find you—if my boys aren't in one piece, I will take you apart. You understand me?"_

Toni hung up and turned to look at Ms. Watts. "We have a problem."

~/~\~

Angela clenched her jaw and bent Gregory's phone in half.

~/~\~

Angela strapped Grace into her car seat before she got into the Impala along with everyone else. Angela started the car and sped off.

~/~\~

_Aldrich, Missouri_

Sam was limping around the cellar as Dean started to regain consciousness. Sam rattled the outside cellar door, which was chained shut.

"Let us out!"

"Sammy?" Dean grunted.

Sam turned around when suddenly he heard a high pitched ringing, which intensified quickly. He started to see images of people dying, like Kevin and Mary.

~/~\~

Angela was driving down the empty road.

"Now what?" Robert asked.

"Well, we got her number," Angela replied. "Let's head back to the bunker, and we'll put a trace on it."

Suddenly, tires screeched as the Impala was hit by another vehicle. The window next to Mary shattered and Castiel turned his body to protect Grace. The car started to skid as Angela controlled it while slamming on the breaks.

"Mary? Dad?" Angela called out in concern.

"I'm good, Pumpkin," Robert grunted.

Castiel leaned over the front seat and placed a hand on Mary's head. "She's unconscious, but there's no serious damage."

"All right. Help her." Angela instructed. "Gracie-girl, are you okay, sweetie?"

"Uh-huh, Mommy." Grace nodded.

Angela gave Grace a once-over, just to make sure. After confirming that Grace was okay, Angela got out of the car to check the damage to the Impala.

"Man, Dean's gonna be pissed," Angela muttered to herself.

Castiel and Robert exited the car. Castiel opened the passenger side door and placed Mary upright in the seat. She was bleeding from a fairly serious cut on her head.

"Angela Winchester, I presume." Ms. Watts said suddenly.

Angela looked around to see Ms. Watts. Angela frowned in confusion.

~/~\~

_Aldrich, Missouri_

In the cellar of the farmhouse, Sam could still hear the high-pitched ringing. He dropped to his knees and looked up to see a hallucination of Angela getting stabbed by Metatron.

"Angie," he breathed out.

"Sammy!" Dean yelled in concern as he started to hear the same high-pitched ringing.

~/~\~

"You should be more careful with your location services on your phone." Ms. Watts commented.

"Are you one of them?" Angela demanded.

"I'm one of them." Ms. Watts confirmed.

"Yeah." Angela walked toward Ms. Watts and grabbed her by the collar. "You tell me where my boys are, and I might make it easy on you."

"Oh, please don't." Ms. Watts smirked.

Ms. Watts swung at Angela with Enochian-infused brass knuckles. Angela retaliated but Ms. Watts was quick to grab Angela's arm, twisting it so a 'snap' could be heard. Angela yelled out in pain. Ms. Watts threw Angela to the ground and Robert was quick to lung at Ms. Watts, who managed to punch Robert square in the face. Ms. Watts proceeded to knee him in the groin, causing him to fall to his knees. Castiel raised his arm to use his 'angel mojo' on Ms. Watts, but she was quick to send him to the ground as well.

Castiel grunted and spit out blood as Angela stood up and patted herself for her gun.

"Looking for this?" Ms. Watts dangled the gun. "So, round two? Anyone?"

~/~\~

_Aldrich, Missouri_

Sam was on his knees and heard disembodied voices. Meanwhile, Dean was having visions from his time in Hell.

 _"Dead,"_ Angela's disembodies voice echoed. _"I'm dead because of you. I'm dead because of you. This is all your fault. This is your fault."_

Sam looked up and saw a hallucination of Angela. "Angie? Baby?"

 _"We're all dead because of you, Sam."_ Angela's disembodied voice continued.

~/~\~

Angela attempted to swing at Ms. Watts, but the woman attacked Angela with the brass knuckles again. Robert lunged at Ms. Watts but she threw him hard against the Impala. Meanwhile, Castiel brought out his angel blade. Ms. Watts kicked Angela, sending her flying into the tan car.

Castiel attempted to stab Ms. Watts with the blade, but she attacked Castiel with the brass knuckles. She kicked the blade from the angel's hand and continued to beat on him until he crumbled to the ground. Ms. Watts grabbed Angela's gun from where she placed it on the trunk of the Impala.

"You know," Ms. Watts started. "I thought you would have lasted a tad longer. But hey, you know what they say. Good things come to those—

Suddenly, the tip of the angel blade protruded from Ms. Watts's chest. She reflectively pulled the trigger twice as Angela scrambled out of the way. Ms. Watts's body fell to the ground and Angela looked up at Mary.

"Thanks, Mary." She breathed out.

~/~\~

_Aldrich, Missouri_

_"Your fault!"_ Angela's disembodied voice yelled. _"It's your fault. Just die. It's your fault. It's your fault."_

Sam broke the mirror and picked up a large piece of glass while Dean continued seeing visions of Hell.

 _"It's your fault,"_ Angela's disembodied voice seethed. _"It's all your fault. Just die. Why won't you die, Sam? Why don't you die? It's your fault."_

Sam put the glass to his throat and slashed his neck, falling to the ground. Dean brought himself over and picked up a shard of glass, following Sam's movements. Suddenly, Toni ran down the stairs with a cattle prod, checking the brothers, who were laying in pools of their own blood.

~/~\~

Sam jumped off the ground and Dean pulled himself up as well, grabbing Toni from behind. Sam grabbed Toni's neck and showed her the long cut on his hand.

"Maybe you're not as good at your job as you think, sweetheart," Dean smirked.

Sam continued to choke Toni and Dean let her body fall to the ground. As the brothers started up the stairs, Toni got up and grabbed the cattle prod, using it against them. Toni made her way past them and was able to close and lock the door.

"No!" Dean pounded on the door. "You bitch!"

"No! No!" Sam bellowed, leaning back against the stairs in defeat.

~/~\~

Robert and Castiel were hiding Ms. Watts's car while Mary sat in the Impala, looking at her hands. Angela knelt down in front of Mary.

"Found her cell phone in the car," she told the older woman. "Last phone call was made from Aldrich, Missouri. We're guessing Sam and Dean are probably around there."

"Good." Mary nodded. "That's great."

"You okay, Mary?" Angela asked softly.

Mary shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. I just… I spent my life running from this, from hunting. And I got out. I never wanted this for my boys."

"Mary, I—I get it. I do." Angela assured. "I don't want Grace getting mixed up with this stuff. But Sam, Dean, and me… saving people and hunting things, this is our life. I think we make the world a better place. I know that we do."

~/~\~

_Aldrich, Missouri_

Sam and Dean were sitting on the stairs in pain. Sam leaned his head back against the rail and closed his eyes as Dean pushed his hands through his hair.


	3. Mama Mia Part 1

_Sam was in bed, naked and breathing heavily. The room he was in was lit with candles. 'Angela' was next to him, the comforter covering her from the chest down._

_"Wow," Sam breathed out._

_"Isn't this much more pleasant, Sammy?" Angela smiled up at him._

_"I missed you, baby," Sam moved so that he was hovering over her._

_"Oh, we'll get there, baby," Angela stopped him. "Just another couple of questions."_

_Sam moved his head while looking down at 'Angela,' his hair falling in front of his face. "Hmm."_

~/~\~

_Sam and 'Angela' were in bed relaxing, each of them holding a glass of red wine._

_"American hunters aren't that bad, Sammy." Angela shook her head._

_"Yeah. Uh, yeah, they are, Angie." Sam argued. "What, you think they're better in the U.K.?"_

_"Well, yeah," Angela giggled. "You know the Brits, they don't think. They do as they're told."_

_"Hm." Sam hummed._

_"Don't you think… we should report to a higher authority?" Angela posed._

_Sam scoffed and sighed, then took the glasses away to place them on the nightstand. "We, uh… We're not just gonna talk all night, right?"_

_Angela giggly girlishly as Sam moved over, pulling the sheet up slightly._

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Angela sat at the table talking on the phone. "I haven't found anything on these surveillance cameras. I mean, it's like they just disappeared. How about you? Any of the local beat cops see anybody that shouldn't be there?"

 _"It's pretty rural,"_ Castiel's voice rang through. _"Not a lot of beat cops. I've checked all the motels, abandoned buildings. No sign of Sam and Dean."_

"All right," Angela sighed heavily. "I don't know. You know, check… real-estate offices. See if anybody bought a place or rented a place. I mean, these people had a damn plane. Maybe they do things legit."

_"Okay, I understand. I'll call you in the morning."_

"Cas, hey," Angela stopped him from hanging up. "So, here's the thing. It's been kind of weird here with, you know, Dad and Mary being back. I don't know how to act around Mary at all, a-and things are kind of weird with Dad. We try to act normal, but it's—it's so not normal."

 _"Um, I'm—I'm not sure,"_ Castiel stammered. _"What—what have they said to you?"_

"Well, nothing," Angela replied. "That—that—that's the whole point."

_"Okay, what have you said to them?"_

"Well, nothing," Angela said again. "I'm—I don't know, I don't want to overwhelm either of them, Cas."

Castiel sighed deeply. _"Don't make things needlessly complicated, as you humans tend to do. I'll call you."_

The line went dead as Castiel hung up and Angela pursed her lips.

"Yeah. Great." She muttered under her breath. "That's helpful. Thanks."

Mary walked in wearing one of the Men of Letters robes and Robert walked in carrying Grace.

"Any news on Sam and Dean?" Mary inquired.

"Um, so, somewhere outsi—here," Angela showed them the computer. "Somewhere outside of Aldrich, Missouri. Cas is going through it with a fine-toothed comb, and I've cracked every database I could."

"Every what?" Mary raised her brows.

"Right," Angela nodded. "No internet your first time around."

"Pumpkin, you're gonna have to let us catch up," Robert replied. "I mean, it's only been 15 years for me, and technology is… so different."

"Our house didn't have an electric typewriter." Mary chuckled. "So… are you really afraid of overwhelming us?"

Angela looked up at the older hunters and swallowed nervously. "I am… _thrilled_ that you guys are back, and Mary, S-Sam and Dean are going to be so happy."

"I just… Robert's right. It's just gonna take us a second to catch up, you know?" Mary replied softly.

"Of course," Angela agreed. "Take all the time you need, okay?"

"And when we do find Sam and Dean… how am I gonna face them?" Mary whispered.

Angela's brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"That yellow-eyed thing would never have come into our home that night if I… I started all of this." Mary murmured.

~/~\~

_Sam was lying on his stomach with 'Angela' behind him stroking his back._

_"Isn't it surprising that despite all of our efforts, monsters remain rampant in this country?" Angela mused._

_"Yeah, we just keep plugging away…" Sam mumbled._

_"Baby, do you think that, maybe, some of the other hunters may have been compromised?" Angela murmured. "Or bought."_

_Sam turned on his side with a contemplative look on his face. "I mean… No, I—I don't, um…"_

_"Sammy, is everything all right?" Angela asked concernedly._

_Sam saw the door open in the cellar and then 'Angela's' face close to his._

_"Baby?"_

_Sam saw the water coming down from the hose onto him and his brother, and their attempt to escape the cellar._

_"No!" Sam shook his head._

_"Sammy, you're scaring me." Angela frowned in worry._

_"No," Sam muttered, eyes widening. "You're not Angie. Not really… She's… She's dead."_

~/~\~

Sam started to regain consciousness while Dean remained slumped in his chair. Toni sat with one leg crossed over the other in her usual spot.

"Well, it was worth a try," Toni muttered.

"What did you do to me?" Sam demanded angrily.

"A hallucination created by a potion and powerful spell work," Toni explained. "Sadly, I can't do the spell again. Your brain would liquefy, which we don't want. Yet. So… I'll have to resort to less… pleasant methods," she picked up a knife and a pair of pliers. "Enhanced interrogation was never part of my job description." Toni scraped the knife along Sam's neck. "But as it turns out… I'm a quick study."

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Angela sat in the kitchen in front of her laptop while Grace ate cereal. Mary and Robert walked into the kitchen.

"Hey," Angela greeted with a small smile. "How'd you both sleep?"

"Good," Robert nodded. "I kept remembering stuff from when you were little."

"I had dreams all night," Mary added.

"Good dreams?" Angela asked curiously.

"Stuff I'd forgotten about," Mary sat down next to Grace. "Funny stuff John did. He was a great father."

Angela nodded when suddenly, her phone started ringing. "Hey, Cas, what do you got?"

 _"I think I may have found Sam and Dean's location,"_ Castiel replied. _"It's a farm. It appears empty, but it was rented two weeks ago to a woman with an English accent."_

"Did you have a look inside?" Angela asked.

 _"No, no, it's—it's powerfully warded,"_ Castiel answered.

"Powerfully warded?" Angela's brows shot up. "Okay, see, hon, that—that was your headline right there."

_"Are we still discussing the same thing?"_

"Where are you?" Angela sighed.

_"I'll text you the address."_

"Okay, got it. I'm on my way." Angela replied before hanging up.

Mary stood up from the table. "Robert and I will get our coats."

"Wait," Angela frowned. "Uh, okay. Why don't I take this one solo, okay? We just—we don't know what we're walking into here."

"We never know, Pumpkin. We're hunters." Robert reminded.

"Right. Um… Okay," Angela pursed her lips. "I—I can't do my job if I'm worried about you guys."

"Angela," Mary started. "You won't have to be. We can handle ourselves. Okay? All right, good talk."

"Oh, boy," Angela muttered as her dad and mother-in-law walked off.

~/~\~

_Aldrich, Missouri_

Toni threw water on Sam and Dean's faces. "Good morning, boys. Let's start again, shall we? Take our time. I've cleared my calendar. I would like names and locations of every hunter… the passcodes to each and every Men of Letters database held in the bunker, and then—oh, yes—let's do discuss your relationships with the demon Ruby and the vampire Benny Lafitte."

~/~\~

"I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this," Angela noted as she drove the Impala.

"I'm your father," Robert replied. "You have to do what I say."

"Look," Mary added. "They targeted the bunker. They obviously know a lot about you, Sam, and Dean. They'll be expecting you. Robert and I are the last people they'd expect."

"You were good at this, weren't you?" Angela asked Mary.

"Very," she nodded. "The thing is, hunters… no matter how good they are, they all end up the same way."

"You know, before Sam and I met each other, w—we both got out," Angela started. "Sammy went to Stanford, a-and after you died, Dad, I… stopped hunting for a while."

"You both had a chance to get out?" Mary frowned. "And you came back?"

"Well, without hunting, Sam and I never would have met." Angela shrugged. "And… Sam and Dean, they became my family. I wasn't alone anymore. We have each other."


	4. Mama Mia Part 2

_Aldrich, Missouri_

In the cellar, both Sam and Dean had been bloodied by Toni's knife. They were currently alone in the cellar.

~/~\~

The Impala pulled up outside the farmhouse and Castiel was leaning against his truck. Angela, Mary, and Robert got out and Angela took Grace out of her car seat before they walked up to Castiel.

"Hi, Unca Cas," Grace waved.

"Hello, Grace." Castiel smiled gently.

"Where's all this warding you mentioned?" Angela quirked a brow.

"It's cloaked. It's very powerful." Castiel answered. "You brought Mary and your father?"

"She sure did." Robert nodded.

"Hello, Castiel," Mary added.

"You sure there's anyone inside?" Angela's brows furrowed.

"No," Castiel shook his head. "The agent said the lease was handled long distance, but someone warded the house."

"I'm gonna have a closer look." Angela handed Grace over to Castiel.

Mary and Robert started to follow Angela.

"Dad, Mary, I got this," Angela assured.

"Pumpkin, you can't keep us from hunting." Robert reprimanded.

Angela shook her head in acknowledgment then looked to Castiel for help.

"I'm locked out by the warding," Castiel said as he adjusted Grace in his arms. "Grace and I could use the company."

"Thanks," Angela whispered gratefully before she walked away.

~/~\~

Angela was walking outside the farmhouse and heard a thud in the distance. She went to investigate and ended up outside the cellar. She tried to open it, looked up, and stepped onto a symbol that began to glow.

"Oh, crap." Angela groaned.

~/~\~

Toni opened the door to the cellar. Sam and Dean looked up at her, breathing heavily.

"Screw yourself, bitch." Dean spat.

Toni reached over and dragged a bound Angela into the brothers' view.

Sam's eyes widened in disbelief. "Angie."

"I'm as happy to see her as you are, 'cause while you boys may be able to withstand my snapping apart your bodies joint by joint, can you watch it happen to Angela?" Toni smirked.

Toni brought Angela down the stairs and pushed her in front of the brothers.

~/~\~

Toni looked over her torture tools and picked up brass knuckles. She walked over and slugged Angela hard in the face.

"Passcodes, boys." She demanded, quirking a brow at their silence. "Not yet?"

Toni looked over at Angela, who was chained with her hands over her head.

"Anything to add, Angela?"

"No." Angela glared icily. "No, I just came by for some tea and a beating."

Toni set down the brass knuckles and picked up a cup of tea. "Really? I thought you might be on for a little chat about your mate, Crowley. You know, the King of Hell whom you ran around with while you were a demon." She reminded, earning no response from Angela. "I see. Well… the English are nothing if not patient."

Toni put down the tea and picked up the brass knuckles again before she sauntered toward Angela.

~/~\~

"Angie," Sam breathed out in disbelief.

"It's good to see ya, kiddo," Dean muttered.

"Hey, boys," Angela replied.

"We thought you were dead, baby." Sam murmured.

Angela scoffed lightly. "I'm not sure that I'm not."

"So?" Sam raised his brows.

"I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything, okay?" Angela assured. "First off, who's Angry Spice?"

"She, uh—she's—she's Men of Letters," Dean muttered. "Uh, British Men of Letters."

"Is that a thing? What the hell?" Angela's brows furrowed in confusion. "Aren't we supposed to be on the same team?"

The door opened and Toni started down the stairs.

"Oh, God." Angela groaned.

"So, to recap—you live in the Men of Letters bunker," Toni started. "Awash in the world's greatest collection of occult knowledge, and yet you know 'nothing.'"

"Right. What a waste." Angela chuckled, which turned into a cough.

"It seems you apes have never read a single book." Toni sneered. "The Men of Letters has a long tradition of intellectual excellence. In London, we've undertaken exhaustive studies of even the most arcane topics," she reached down to grab an ice pick-like device. "For example, parts of the body most sensitive to intense pain." Toni grabbed Angela's face. "The eardrum. Decaying tooth. Below the belt, of course. And my favorite—under the eyelid."

Angela grunted as Sam and Dean watched, trying to get out of their chairs.

"Did you know it's possible to die from pain?" Toni mused.

Angela stared straight ahead while Sam and Dean continued to struggle to get out of their chairs. Suddenly, there was the sound of guns cocking. Toni turned to look and saw Robert and Mary.

"You get away from them." Mary glared threateningly.

"Mom?" Sam and Dean asked simultaneously, not believing their eyes.

"Baby, is that your dad?" Sam added quietly.

"Yeah, as I said, I'll... explain." Angela nodded.

Robert walked into the room and grabbed a set of keys from the table. He walked toward Toni and Angela.

"Drop it. Ground." Robert demanded.

Toni didn't move. Mary walked into the room and smacked Toni in the face while Robert handed the keys to Angela, who began to work on her shackles.

"That's the ground." Mary glared.

Toni reached up and knocked the gun away as it fired. Toni smacked Sam, Dean, and Angela before punching Mary in the throat and stomach before throwing her into the wall. She kneed Robert in the groin, causing him to crumple over in pain. Angela finally managed to unlock her shackles as the fighting continued.

"Holy crap," Angela muttered.

As the fighting continued, Angela fired a shot into the air. Toni picked up a piece of glass and cut her hand. Angela turned the gun on Toni as she turned with her bloody hand out.

"Xi," Toni muttered.

Suddenly, Mary and Robert began to gasp as they held their throats. Angela stalked toward Toni as she pointed the gun.

"Kill the spell now," Angela seethed. "I'm not kidding."

"Shoot me, and Mary and your father have no chance," Toni warned.

Angela looked over at Mary and Robert, who were still gasping for air.

"The gun," Toni demanded.

Sam and Dean looked over at Angela, who uncocked the gun and handed it over to Toni. Angela then punched Toni square in the face, knocking the woman out.

"Angie!" Sam yelled.

Suddenly, both Mary and Robert began to breathe again.

"It's okay," Angela assured. "She was using a Chinese mind-control technique. Hard to do when you're unconscious. Turns out this ape _did_ read a book or two."

After checking on Mary and Robert, Angela went over to unlock Sam and Dean from their bonds.

"Well played," Mick said suddenly.

Sam, Dean, Angela, Mary, and Robert looked up to see Mick standing at the bottom of the stairs with Castiel behind him, carrying Grace.

~/~\~

"What you were told is basically true," Mick started. "We were keen on knowing about the three of you, seeing as you seem to be partially carrying on the Men of Letters' work here now that the American chapter is defunct."

"So, you sic your attack dog on us to what, say hi?" Dean scoffed as Toni regained consciousness and stood up.

"Well, part of our group suspect some kind of malfeasance amongst you American hunters," Mick replied. "No argument—Lady Bevell went too far. I deeply apologize."

Sam shook his head incredulously. "Mm."

"She'll face consequences in London," Mick assured.

"I'll tell you what, why don't you take a walk, and she can face those consequences right here and now?" Dean suggested.

Mick shook his head. "She's ours. We'll take care of her. Now, I'm here to extend an olive branch. We want to work with you."

"Let me ask you a question, uh, Mick, is it?" Sam narrowed his eyes. "Why would we believe any of this?"

"If I wasn't sincere, if I meant you harm, there's a dozen ways I could've come in here and taken you all prisoner instead of being unarmed," Mick replied. "Not to mention I powered down all the wardings in this shack so your attack dog could come in," he added before turning to Castiel. "I reckon you could finish me off without breaking a sweat. Am I right?"

"I don't sweat under any circumstances," Castiel replied flatly.

"My number," Mick handed his card to Castiel. "Take your time, cool down, and just think it over. And what have you got to lose, except your worst nightmares?"

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

There was a bucket of 'Sandy's Chicken' to-go on the table, and various emptied plates scattered around the table.

"Oh, that was fantastic," Dean smiled. "Thank you, Mom."

Mary walked in carrying a pie and she chuckled. "All I did was point at some stuff on a take-out menu. I would've cooked, but I, uh… don't."

"That's an understatement," Robert smirked, earning a smack on the shoulder from Mary.

Dean's brows furrowed in confusion. "Well, now, wait. Your meatloaf was amazing."

"Came from the Piggly Wiggly. Sorry to burst your bubble." Mary shrugged. "But you still like pie?"

Dean chuckled. "I mean…" he trailed off as he grabbed the pie.

"Unca Dean, may I have some please?" Grace batted her eyelashes at her uncle.

"Only 'cause you're my favorite niece," Dean smirked.

"She's your only niece." Angela scoffed.

"Sam," Mary looked at her youngest son. "You keep looking at me like I'm going to explode."

Sam chuckled and rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. "I'm sorry."

"But what do we think?" Mary asked curiously. "Are we buying that Brit's whole 'Let's be friends' routine?"

"No," Sam shook his head. "No way."

"Absolutely not," Angela said firmly.

"No. Mmm," Dean mumbled as he scarfed down his pie.

"Could you eat that any faster?" Mary raised her brows.

"No," Dean muffled, his mouth full. "No, I cannot."

Mary smiled at her oldest. "Well, we should call the Internet and find out as much as we can about these people." She noted, earning looks from the younger hunters. "Did I say that right?"

"So close," Dean replied.

"Yeah, it was close." Angela agreed.

"You guys want any?" Dean offered Sam and Angela some of the pie.

Angela shook her head and Sam grimaced slightly.

"No," he replied. "Uh, not now."

Dean shrugged and continued eating sloppily.

~/~\~

Mary was in her new room in the bunker and she turned when she heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

Sam opened the door and entered, holding a cup. "Hey. Hi. Sorry. I hope I didn't wake you up. I-I, uh… wanted to bring you this." He placed the cup down on the desk.

"Thank you." Mary smiled softly.

"You're welcome." Sam nodded. "I don't know if you drink tea, but…"

"I do."

"Good." Sam smiled. "Uh, and I wanted to say… if you ever want to talk, I know what it's like to come back and not feel like you really fit."

"I just have so much about you boys to catch up on," Mary replied gently. "Mother stuff. You know, first tooth, first crush. I mean, Sam, you have a wife a-and a daughter."

Sam looked around awkwardly. "Yeah."

"I just have a lot of blanks to fill in."

"Right, uh…" Sam pulled John's journal from under his arm and handed it to Mary. "Dad's journal. His writing, his words. Helped me fill in some blanks, answer some questions I didn't know I had. And, you know, it—it—it keeps him with us, sort of."

"Thank you," Mary replied sincerely.

"Goodnight."

"Angela said you got out of hunting," Mary noted, stopping Sam.

Sam put his hands into his pockets. "Yeah."

"And yet here you are."

"Well, this is my family. My family hunts, you know? It's what we do." Sam shrugged. "Without hunting, I never would have met Angie, o-or had Gracie."

Mary shook her head and looked away at the journal.

"Mom," Sam swallowed nervously. "For me… just, um… having you here… fills in the biggest blank."

Sam's eyes filled with tears as Mary stepped forward and hugged him tightly.

~/~\~

Dean was in the kitchen, sitting on the floor. He was slightly drunk and was looking over his collection of family photos.

~/~\~

Angela sat with Robert in the library. She had the photo album that Sam urged her to keep adding to.

"Um, here," she slid the album to her father. "Sam and I have been adding photos to it over the years. There are pictures from the day Gracie was born, her first birthday, you know, that kind of stuff."

Robert opened the album and flipped through it, a smile spreading across his face. "You've grown up so much, Pumpkin. And you and Sam… you two remind me of when I was married to your mom."

Angela smiled softly and wiped away the oncoming tears. "I'm just really glad you're back, Dad. I was… different after you died. Lost… until I met the Winchesters. And I'm so happy that you get to meet Gracie."

"She reminds me of you when you were little," Robert chuckled lightly. "Spunky, a little spitfire… she's a mini-you. I'm happy that you found a family in this life, Pumpkin."

"I love you, Dad, so much," Angela whispered.

"I love you, too." Robert took Angela's hand and squeezed it.


	5. The Foundry Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace were in the kitchen eating breakfast. Grace ate her pancakes and kicked her feet happily.

"All right," Dean started. "So, what have you guys found on her Majesty's Secret Suckbags?"

"Well, Angie and I may have turned the bunker upside down looking for any reference whatsoever to the British Men of Letters, and all we found was this letter tucked into an old ledger." Sam sighed heavily.

"It, uh, from the 'London Chapterhouse," Angela added.

"Okay, well that's something." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah, uh… not so much." Angela turned the letter around and most of the letter was blacked out.

Dean took the letter and looked at it, rolling his eyes. "Awesome."

Castiel walked into the doorway of the kitchen and Dean looked up at the angel.

"Hi Unca Cas!" Grace exclaimed happily.

"Morning sunshine," Dean greeted. "Some coffee?"

"No, thank you. I have to go."

Castiel turned and walked away. The Winchesters looked at each other, clearly confused, and they followed the angel.

"Gracie, stay here and eat your breakfast!" Angela instructed as they followed Castiel.

"Cas?" Sam frowned.

"Cas, wait up."

"Hey," Angela grabbed Castiel's arm. "Wait a second. Where are you off to?"

Castiel paused for a moment and turned to answer. "Cleveland, Ohio."

"For what?" Sam's brows furrowed.

"I think I may have a lead on Lucifer," Castiel replied. "I found a police report in Cleveland about a man whose eyes flared a glowing red. It could be Lucifer in a new body."

"All right," Dean nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like something. We should go check it out."

"No." Castiel shook his head. "The Devil is free because of me. Finding him is my responsibility."

"Cas, you're gonna want some backup on this," Angela replied sternly.

"If it is him, I will call you," he assured. "In the meantime, I think you're needed here."

Castiel nodded his head at the three hunters and turned and walked away.

"The hell was that about?" Dean muttered.

"Mom? Robert?" Sam suggested.

"What are you talking about?" Dean scoffed. "They're fine."

"I don't know, my dad's been acting a little off lately," Angela replied.

"Yeah, I heard Mom walking around all night last night," Sam added as they started walking back to the kitchen. "I mean, don't you think she seems a bit… withdrawn? You know… shaky?"

"Where's Unca Cas?" Grace asked as her parents and uncle sat back down.

"He had to go on a trip," Angela told her daughter. "He'll be back soon, sweetie."

"Of course she's shaky," Dean told Sam. "She hasn't been on this planet since Jane Fonda was wearing leg warmers. Look, all she and Robert need are a little R&R. You know, some good family time… they'll both be aces."

Mary and Robert walked into the room, and Grace perked up.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" the toddler beamed.

"Hey cutie," Robert walked over to his granddaughter. "What d'you have there?"

"Pancakes," she replied. "Daddy made them."

"Hey, Mom." Sam and Dean greeted Mary.

"Hi, Mary." Angela waved.

"Hey. Hi." Mary smiled gently.

"Hey. Morning." Sam smiled back at his mother.

Mary noticed the bacon sitting on a plate on the table. "Ooh."

"Oh, we can fry up some more," Sam suggested. "That's—that's probably cold by now, Mom."

"It's bacon." She shrugged.

"Wow," Dean chuckled. "We are _so_ related."

"Did you cut your hair?" Angela inquired.

"I'm gonna keep it short if Robert and I are gonna go out on a hunt, you know?" Mary shrugged. "Why give the bad guys the advantage of long pullable hair, right?"

"Wow. I've been trying to tell Sam that for years," Dean smirked.

Sam rolled his eyes and he fully processed what Mary had said. "Did you say, uh, 'going on a hunt?'"

"I found a case." Mary shrugged.

Sam's brows shot up. "I thought you were still struggling with even the idea of the internet."

"I had Dean pick up some newspapers when he went into town."

"Whoa, whoa," Dean frowned. "I… you didn't tell me you were looking for a case."

"I wasn't. I just… found one." Mary replied. "Minnesota. Two dead, locked room. Victims had put in a call about a crying baby. But the place was empty. The only thing at the scene was their bodies. Been five days, and the coroner still hasn't put out a cause of death. Seemed fishy."

"It's probably nothing," Robert added. "We just thought it would be a good idea to get out there, stretch our legs."

"Mom, I—I thought you-you weren't down to hunt in the first place," Sam argued.

"Well things change, right?" Dean chimed in. "Family hunting trip."

"I'll text Jody," Angela added.

"Sure." Mary smiled tightly.

"All right. Meet at the car in 10." Dean smiled.

Dean got up from the table, looking happy to be hunting with his mom. Sam still sat at the table, looking upset at the way things were going while Angela just looked confused.

"What about the R&R?" Sam asked.

"W…" Dean gestured to where Mary and Robert had already left. "Look, man, Cas healed our s'mores foot, all right? I got Baby back to mint. We're road ready. And if Mom and Robert want to hunt, I say we hunt. You guys are gonna…"

Dean waved his arm and pointed at the dishes on the table.

~/~\~

_St. Paul, Minnesota_

The hunters had brought Grace to Jody's and were now in Minnesota. They were at a gas station and Sam was filling up the tank while Mary, Angela, and Robert waited in the car. Dean walked back to the car from the convenience store.

"Nice bike," Dean noted as he passed a black motorcycle and got into the driver's seat. "There's a lot of things that have gone to seed since you were here," he told Mary. "But the variety of snack food flavors is not one of them. We got your teriyaki jerky, we got your sriracha, and we got your chili lime, which… is my personal favorite."

"Let's give chili lime a whirl." Mary reached over Angela and took some of the jerky.

Sam got into the back seat of the car where Robert also sat.

"Eh?" Dean grinned.

"It's… good." Mary nodded. "Artificial, kinda tingly."

"That's how you know it's working," Dean replied as he turned on the radio.

 _'Born to be Wild'_ played on the radio. Sam motioned for Dean to turn the music down.

"Hey."

Mary reached over and turned the music up instead. Sam just half-smiled and Dean grinned as he peeled out of the gas station.

~/~\~

Mary, Robert, Angela, Sam, and Dean were in the coroner's office dressed in their FBI apparel.

"Agent Shirley Partridge, out of the Minneapolis field office," Mary introduced. These are my partners, Agents Cassidy, Bonaduce, Madden, and Forster."

"This is a local case," the coroner frowned in confusion. "Why the hell did the FBI send—

"They're new." Robert nodded to the three younger hunters. "Wanted their first case to have training wheels."

"Mm." the coroner grunted.

"We wanted to have a look at the bodies," Mary replied.

"Now you haven't filed a report," Angela noted. "Has there been any problem determining the cause of death?"

"Problem?" the coroner repeated. "No. No, no, no. I figured out the cause. Just doesn't make any damn sense."

Dean wandered around to the side of the woman's body and noticed a mark on her arm. "Is this a burn?"

"Frostbite." The coroner replied, earning shocked looks from the hunters. "Yeah. Both victims died of acute hypothermia… in a 65-degree room. When I opened them up, their hearts were literally—and I mean literally—frozen. Wanna tell me how to present that to the public? Or to their families? So much for training wheels, huh?"

~/~\~

Mary, Robert, and the three younger hunters walked into the abandoned house that night to have a look around.

"You sure you got the swing of that thing?" Dean nodded to the EMF meter.

"For the third time, yes," Mary muttered. "Dean, it's analog. I'm good."

"Right," Dean replied.

Mary and Robert wandered into the bedroom with the crib and doll inside. Sam, Dean, and Angela went in another direction. Both Mary and Robert's EMF meters started going off and the light above the crib started flickering. Robert pulled back the blanket that covered the doll.

"Dad, Mary, we got something over here!" Angela called.

Mary pocketed her EMF meter and she and Robert turned to walk out of the room. Suddenly, the door slammed in their faces.

"Sam?" Mary frowned.

"Angie?" Robert yelled.

"Mom?" Dean's brows furrowed.

"Dad?" Angela rushed to the door.

"Dean?" Mary called out as she tried to open the door.

"Hold on! We're coming!" Dean assured. "Both of you get away from the door!"

Mary and Robert both backed away from the door. Suddenly, a small hand grabbed Mary's arm and she turned to see a small blonde boy. Dean finally broke the door down. Sam grabbed Mary while Angela ran over to Robert, and Dean swung his crowbar through the ghost, causing him to dissipate. Mary held up her arm to the light of Sam's flashlight and noticed that there was a bright red handprint on her arm.

Sam frowned in concern. "Mom, you're hurt."

Dean walked over and looked at Mary's arm. "Let's go. Come on. Come on."

"Okay." Mary nodded.

~/~\~

The next day, Sam, Dean, and Angela were working on the computers while Robert was looking through a few books. Mary walked into the room.

"Okay, ready to head out? Go knock on some doors?"

"Doors?" Dean's brows furrowed.

"Yeah." Mary nodded. "Talk to the neighbors, hit up the Hall of Records, work the… case? We still do that, right?"

"Sometimes." Angela nodded. "But the, uh, the internet has made a lot of that legwork… obsolete."

"I mean, I'm already in the St. Paul Police Department database," Sam added.

"Anything?" Dean raised his brows.

"Yeah, a lot. I got police reports filed from 2004… uh, '91, '89, '85, '78…" Sam answered. "All deaths. All kids. Looks like it started with this girl here. Elizabeth Moriarty."

Mary's brows shot up in disbelief. "You got all that from that…"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"I'm still getting used to how much technology has changed in just 15 years." Robert comforted Mary.

Mary backed up to sit down on one of the beds, clearly overwhelmed.

"Mom… don't worry about it. We'll teach you how to do this." Sam assured his mother.

~/~\~

"Mylings?" Dean asked as the continued researching.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "From Scandinavian lore. Uh, children's spirits, vengeful ones. 'Their cries to help lure adults to their death.'"

"Anything about frozen hearts?" Angela asked.

"Uh, no, not yet," Sam mumbled. "But this is just from old, incomplete folk accounts. We all know the lore isn't always 100%."

"Hmm." Mary hummed. "Maybe, but… all I know is, that little boy that grabbed me, I… he didn't want to hurt us. He was scared."

"Yeah, um… it must've felt that way, but, Mom, the victims were all lured to their death by a baby's cry," Sam explained. "Uh, the spirit marked Natalia right before she was killed, the same way the spirit marked you. I mean, if we hadn't gotten there in time…"

"Well, look, we know all the kids' names, right?" Dean shrugged. "We know that they're all buried locally, so I say we salt and burn 'em. That's the safe bet."

"Agreed." Sam nodded.

"All right," Dean replied. "Well, let's do that."

Mary didn't seem convinced by the conclusion, and Angela looked skeptical as well. Mary sat down heavily on the bed, holding her head in her hands.

"Mom?" Dean asked concernedly. "Hey, you okay?"

"Mom?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah, fine. I'm fine. I'm fine." Mary stood back up. "I'm fine."

"May—Maybe, uh, you should stay here," Sam suggested.

Angela noticed Mary's displeased look. "I can stay with you, Mary."

"Great idea," Dean took out his phone and handed it to Mary. "You guys call if you need us."

"Okay." Mary nodded.

"Back soon," Sam promised before he leaned down and kissed Angela on the cheek. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Angela replied.

"See ya soon, Pumpkin." Robert kissed his daughter's temple.

Sam, Dean, and Robert grabbed their stud and headed out the door.


	6. The Foundry Part 2

_St. Paul, Minnesota_

Mary and Angela were in the motel room. Mary looked confusedly at the cell phone in her hand.

"You okay, Mary?" Angela asked softly.

"Yeah…No," Mary admitted as she set the phone on the desk and picked up the cordless phone. "Something about this case isn't sitting right with me." She muttered as she dialed.

 _"Ramsey County. Register of Deeds."_ The operator answered.

"Hello," Mary started. "I'm looking for contact information for the last owner of 1781 Chamberlin Street, please."

 _"Uh…Okay,"_ the person on the other line sighed, annoyed. _"Can't you just use the website like everyone else?"_

"I'm not everyone else," Mary replied, causing Angela to smirk. "Please? And… thank you."

~/~\~

May was on the phone with the previous owner of the house, Cheryl, and Mary put the phone on speaker.

 _"Lucas… was so cold,"_ Cheryl started. _"I still don't understand what happened. I checked on him just a minute before I found him. How'd he get so cold so fast? Gosh, sorry for going on like this."_

"Oh, don't apologize," Mary replied. "What did Lucas look like?"

 _"Well, he was so handsome,"_ Cheryl noted. _"Blonde hair and these crystal blue eyes."_

"Anything else?" Angela inquired.

_"He had a scar on his cheek. From the neighbor's dog."_

"Thank you, Cheryl," Mary replied, recalling the boy who grabbed her. "I'm sorry for dredging all this up again."

 _"Oh, it's okay,"_ Cheryl assured. _"Actually, it's kinda nice. No one talks on the phone anymore, you know?"_

"I've noticed. Thank you again." Mary replied before hanging up.

~/~\~

The boys and Robert were at the graveyard digging up the graves of all the children and salting and burning their bones.

"Grim work," Sam muttered.

"Yeah," Dean replied as Robert dug up one of the graves a few feet away.

"You know, I'm worried about Mom," Sam whispered.

"Why?" Dean frowned in confusion.

"You're not?" Sam scoffed.

"She's back." Dean shrugged. "I mean, yeah, she's still working out the kinks. So is Robert. We're all still working out the kinks. But, I mean, can't we for once, just not turn everything into a problem? You know, can we, for once, just have one good thing?"

"Mom's not a thing." Sam retorted.

"Okay." Dean sighed heavily.

"Look, I'm happy too, Dean. I am." Sam stressed. "I'm overjoyed. But… there's something about her. I mean, something's going on with her."

"Yeah, she's adjusting. Just like Robert."

"No, she's struggling." Sam corrected. "And Robert is, too, to a degree. I mean, they're both burying themselves in hunting to avoid dealing."

Dean scoffed. "And how do you know that?"

"Years of personal experience," Sam replied. "I don't know man. Uh… like mother, like sons. And I've seen it in Angie, too."

~/~\~

Robert, Sam, and Dean came back to the motel room, only to find that Mary and Angela were gone.

"Mom?" Dean frowned.

"Angie?" Robert called out.

"Weapons bag is missing," Sam noted as he looked around.

~/~\~

Mary and Angela walked into the Chamberlin house and headed toward the back bedroom. Suddenly, Lucas appeared in front of them.

"Lucas," Angela started. "That's your name, isn't it? We talked to your mommy. She misses you so much."

Lucas turned and walked over to point at the basement door, then disappeared. Angela pried the door open and she and Mary headed down with a flashlight. Lucas appeared in front of them again.

"Lucas, why did you bring us here?" Mary asked, confused.

"Help… us."

Suddenly, Mary's phone rang.

"Hello?" Mary answered.

 _"Mom, where are you and Angie?"_ Sam demanded.

"We're at the Chamberlin house, on a hunch," Mary replied.

 _"Yeah, we salted and burned all the remains."_ Dean's voice rang through.

"Yeah. Didn't work!" Angela exclaimed.

 _"Okay, guys, get out of the house and wait for us,"_ Dean instructed.

Suddenly, the reception started breaking up and Mary frowned.

"What? Hello?"

 _"Mom?"_ Dean asked. _"Angie?"_

"Hello?" Mary asked as the call completely cut out.

~/~\~

"What's keeping you here?" Angela asked Lucas gently.

Lucas pointed to the corner of the basement. "Him."

The house started shaking and Mary and Angela ran back upstairs. They turned around and the ghost of a grown man was behind her.

"You're the father of that little girl." Mary realized. "You killed them all, all those ch—

The ghost used his powers to throw Angela into the wall, causing her to hit her head hard, and she fell unconscious. The ghost pulled Mary toward him and placed his hand on her chest and started to freeze her. The boys and Robert rushed into the room.

"Mom!" Dean yelled.

Robert's brows furrowed and he rushed over to his daughter. "Angie?"

"Angie?" Sam's brows furrowed in concern.

Suddenly, Mary collapsed to her knees and Dean rushed forward.

"Mom. Hey. Come on."

Mary threw her elbow at Dean, sending him into the wall and he grunted in pain.

"Dean?" Sam frowned. "She's possessed."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Robert looked unsure of what to do. Sam reached for an iron chain, but Mary sent him flying into a shelf in the wall. She rushed Dean and pushed him against the wall, choking and freezing him.

"My house. My children. Forever." The ghost sneered through Mary.

"Mom?" Dean choked out. "You can fight this."

"Mom?" Sam grunted.

"Mary, you have to fight this!" Robert yelled.

"Aah!" Mary exclaimed as she dropped Dean and collapsed to her knees.

"Mom." Sam raised his brows.

"The basement. Go!" she yelled.

Sam and Robert ran out of the room down to the basement. The ghost regained control of Mary and threw Dean against the wall.

"Mom?" Dean pleaded.

"Mommy's gone." The ghost smirked darkly.

~/~\~

Sam and Robert looked around the basement frantically. Lucas appeared in front of them and pointed to where they needed to go.

~/~\~

Dean was still fighting the ghost possessing Mary. He rolled away and grabbed the shotgun, pointing it at her.

~/~\~

Sam and Robert found some tools and started breaking down the door.

~/~\~

"Don't," Dean warned the ghost. "Don't make me."

The ghost just looked amused and used its power to toss the shotgun out of Dean's hands.

~/~\~

Sam and Robert were both knocking down the bricked-up section of the basement.

~/~\~

Mary started looking around at the noise Sam and Robert were making in the basement. She looked pissed and started to turn to go to the basement.

~/~\~

As they tore down the wall, Sam and Robert discovered the skeletal remains of Moriarty in the wall.

~/~\~

Dean quickly grabbed the chain off the floor and wrapped it around Mary, holding her in the room.

~/~\~

Sam salted the remains while Robert poured the lighter fluid.

~/~\~

Mary struggled against the chain, growling slightly.

"I got you, Mom," Dean promised.

Suddenly, the ghost was thrown out of Mary with a shout and started screaming as he burned up. As he burned, he was surrounded by the children that he killed, who watched him disappear. Dean and Mary looked on, shocked. The ghost disappeared just as Sam and Robert came rushing back into the room. Sam picked Angela up bridal style and they all watched in awe as the children left in bursts of white light. Lucas turned for one last look at Mary before disappearing.

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Mary, Robert, Dean, and Angela walked up the bunker stairs. Angela held an icepack to her head.

"You feeling all right, kiddo?" Dean asked Angela.

"Yeah, my head hurts a bit, but I'm fine," Angela replied.

Dean nodded and turned to his mother. "Well, you gonna take a shower? Take a nap? You really went through it today."

"No, I'm okay," Mary assured.

"And, um… apologies if, uh, me, Sam, and Angie hijacked or sidelined you in any way. Both of you guys." Dean told the older hunters. "I mean, this was your case, you know? And… well, you kicked ass."

"I kicked ass?" Mary scoffed. "You saved me. I—

"Yeah, but you were right." Dean interrupted. "You know, those children were innocent. I mean, hell, we didn't even know what Moriarty's deal was."

"I do," Mary whispered, earning shocked looks from Dean, Angela, and Robert. "When he possessed me, I saw… I felt it. All of it. When Hugo lost his child, he went mad. Buried himself alive in his basement and walled himself in and starved to death."

"Damn." Dean and Angela muttered.

"But when new families moved in," Mary continued. "Families with children, he coveted those children. So, he took them. Killed them. And somehow that bound their spirits to his. That's where he got his power. He was so… greedy. Twisted."

"Mon, it's okay." Dean comforted. "All right? You're home now."

Mary paused and looked saddened. "No. I'm not. I miss John. I miss my boys."

Sam walked in carrying Grace. "We're right here, Mom."

"I know." She nodded. "In my head. But I'm still mourning them as I knew them. My baby Sam. My little boy Dean. Just feels like yesterday, we were together in Heaven, and now… I'm here, and John is gone, and they're gone. And every moment I spend with you reminds me every moment I lost with them."

"Mary's right," Robert looked at his daughter. "Angie, when I died, you were 18-years-old… just starting your journey into adulthood. Now you're in your 30's and you have a family. It's… a lot."

Angela frowned in confusion. "W-what are you guys trying to say?"

"We have to go," Mary whispered.

The three younger hunters looked heart-broken by the sudden news.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm so… so sorry."

"We just need a little time," Robert added.

Mary stepped toward Dean, but he backed away from her and continued looking down. Mary stopped and looked at him for a moment before she turned and picked up John's journal. She stepped up to Sam.

"I love you." She hugged Sam tightly, then turned to look once more at Dean. "I love you both."

Robert hugged Angela, who didn't hug back. "I love you, Pumpkin."

With that, Mary and Robert started up the stairs to the exit. Sam watched them leave and Angela wiped away the oncoming tears. Dean, however, refused to look up. Sam flinched as the sound of the door opening echoed throughout the bunker, and he held Grace a bit tighter.


	7. American Nightmare Part 1

_Mason City, Iowa_

Sam, Dean, and Angela were in Mason City, Iowa on a case and Grace was at Jody's. The brothers were dressed as priests and Angela was dressed as a nun.

"Father Valdecantos?" Sam asked as they walked into the church. "I'm Father Penn of the Dubuque Archdiocese. This is—

"Father DeNiro." Dean introduced.

"And I'm Sister Moore," Angela added with a gentle smile. "We're here to talk about Olivia Sanchez."

Father Valdecantos turned to look at the three hunters and shook his head. "I'm not talking about that anymore." He replied firmly before he turned to walk away.

"You sure were chatty with the press and the cops." Dean retorted. "Priest Claims Demons Walk Among Us," he recited the newspaper title. "Boy, that's quite the headline grabber."

Father Valdecantos stopped and turned back. "I said I'm not talking about—

"No, we heard you." Dean interrupted. "Don't care."

"You'll think I'm lying, like my bishop, like everyone," Father Valdecantos argued. "But I knew Olivia. She was a good person. I watched her get flayed alive by some invisible force. That was the devil's work. I've been told the church doesn't want us talking like that anymore—too old fashioned. But I know what I saw."

"Did you see any black smoke?" Angela inquired.

Father Valdecantos frowned deeply. "What?"

"We don't think you're lying," Sam assured. "We just wanna ask you a few questions, that's all."

"Um… No. No smoke."

"What about sulfur?" Dean asked. "Did you smell, uh, rotten eggs?"

"No." Father Valdecantos shook his head.

"You told people that she was speaking in tongues?" Sam quirked a brow.

"Yes," Father Valdecantos nodded. "It sounded like Hebrew. Prok yaw-thi a-law-haw."

"Sounds more like Aramaic than Hebrew," Sam muttered.

"Hmm." Dean hummed.

Father Valdecantos's brows furrowed. "What kinds of priests and nun are you?"

"The old-fashioned kind," Dean replied shortly before walking away.

"Thank you," Angela replied sincerely.

Sam and Angela followed Dean, and they continued walking down the church aisle.

"So, no sulfur means no demon," Dean started. "You think the padre's right? We talking about Lucifer here?"

"Little small-time for him," Angela muttered. "I don't know. Maybe a rogue angel?"

Dean stopped suddenly and watched a little boy lighting a candle with his mother.

"Dean," Sam frowned.

"Yeah," he cleared his throat. "Uh, I'll make a call."

~/~\~

Dean was talking on the phone as he walked around the Impala. "Wait, wait, wait. What? Are you serious? Yes, Cas, that's weird. It's really, really weird. All right, yeah. Um… thanks for the heads-up."

Dean hung up the phone and looked up to see Sam and Angela walking toward him. Dean sent Mary a text saying, _'Hi, Mom, just checking in. Is mom still okay or weird? Should I call you Mary?'_ He waited for an answer, but nothing came.

"Now I'm a 13-year-old girl," Dean grumbled to himself.

Sam handed Dean a cup of coffee. "Hey. So, what's the word? Cas have anything?"

Dean cleared his throat. "Yeah. Uh… Well, good news, uh, there's nothing on angel radio, and Heaven's still on lockdown, so rogue angel is out."

"Bad news?" Angela asked.

"Cas is chumming it up with Crowley." Dean scoffed.

"Hmm." Sam hummed.

"They're _hunting_ Lucifer together," Dean added. "That's right—one's an angel, one's a demon, and apparently, they solve crimes."

"Are they having any luck?" Sam asked curiously.

"Kind of." Dean shrugged. "So, Lucifer, the Lord of Evil, Angel of Light, is now the Master of Butt Rock. He jumped into Vince Vincente."

Sam's brows shot up. "The Rockstar?"

"The douchebag." Dean corrected. "Guy used to roll with purple hair down to his butt and a spiked codpiece."

"It—it was the '80s," Sam muttered.

"The what?" Dean demanded.

Sam chuckled. "Uh… it was the '80s."

"What, are you _defending_ him?" Dean narrowed his eyes.

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes. "No, I'm not… I mean, his third album was kind of… not horrible."

"I hate you so much right now." Dean shook his head. "Angie, you wanna say something?"

"Oh, no, this is funny." Angela smiled.

"Anyway," Sam cut in. "He's in the Devil now?"

"Well, I mean, he was always kind of the Devil, but, yeah, now it's official."

"Where is he?" Angela asked.

"Rowena blasted him to the bottom of the ocean."

"Why?" Sam's brows furrowed.

"I don't know." Dean shrugged. "Why do you love Vince Vincente?"

Sam rolled his eyes dramatically. "I don't love—Anyways, uh, looked at the words. I was right. They are Aramaic," Sam looked down at his tablet. "Prok yaw-thi a-law-haw. It means, 'Save me, oh, God."

"Save me from what?" Dean muttered.

Sam and Angela just shrugged, not knowing the answer.

~/~\~

Carl opened the door to an exam room and lead Sam, Dean, and Angela inside.

"Body's right there, Agents," Carl started. "I can get her prepped to your—

"That's great, Carl." Dean cut him off. "Uh… We'll take it from here."

"Oh?" Carl frowned. "Okay. Um, but… it's a weird'un. If you guys need anything at all, I'm—

"We won't. We won't. Thank you." Dean replied.

"Are… you sure?" Carl asked as Dean ushered him out of the room. "Yep. Oh, okay."

Dean closed the door and turned back to Sam and Angela.

"Little tough on Carl, don't you think?" Angela scoffed lightly.

"Ah, he's a big boy. He can take it."

"You okay?" Sam's brows furrowed in concern.

"Peachy," Dean replied.

"You sure?" Sam pressed. "'Cause ever since Mom left, you've been a little, uh… cranky."

"Cranky, huh?" Dean muttered.

"Yeah. I mean, to the priest, to Carl. Heck, on the way here, you wouldn't even make a pit stop."

"So, now your tiny bladder is my problem?" Dean scoffed.

"I'm just saying—

"Olivia Sanchez," Dean interrupted. "The body was found. It had deep cuts on her back as though she'd been whipped. Holes punctured her hands and her feet, and pinprick wounds around the top of her skull. What's that sound like to you?"

Angela picked up one of Olivia's hands and assessed the hole in the middle. "Stigmata."

"Bingo." Dean nodded. "Gets weirder."

"How?" Sam asked and Dean handed him the autopsy report. "The victim's skull was filled with a goopy mush."

"That Carl paints quite a picture, doesn't he?" Dean muttered. "All right. What can do all that?"

Sam and Angela looked at each other and shrugged.

"I got nothing." Sam shook his head.

"Me neither." Dean pursed his lips. "Well, maybe we should focus more on the case and less on the Dr. Phil crap."

Dean walked toward the door, and Sam and Angela quickly followed.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were being escorted by Beth to Olivia's old office.

"It's just over here," Beth started. "This is—was Olivia's office."

"So… what is it now?" Angela quirked a brow.

"…kinda mine now," Beth replied.

Dean looked down at the lit candle. "So, is that yours?"

Beth nodded. "It's for positive energy. I'm a Wiccan."

"Cool," Dean muttered, eyeing Beth skeptically.

"So, how well did you know Olivia?" Sam questioned.

"She was my boss," Beth answered. "Is it true what they're saying, that she, you know… killed herself?"

"Well, we're working on that. Um, now the day she died, was Olivia acting strange?" Sam asked.

"Not really." Beth shrugged. "I mean… She was getting headaches. Bad ones, like super migraines. But we all knew she was working too hard."

"Did she have any enemies?" Angela inquired.

"Somebody who held a grudge, maybe wanted to do her harm?" Dean added.

"Yeah. I mean, Olivia was great, but this is Child Protective Services. We get threats all the time."

Sam's brows furrowed. "From who?"

"Everyone." Beth shrugged. "You don't make a lot of friends when sometimes what's best for a family is to split them up."

"Right." Sam pursed his lips. "Um, yeah, can we see Olivia's case files?"

"Of course. They're right over here."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela left the building and Angela had the case files in her hands.

"Well, that was easy," Dean commented.

Sam frowned slightly. "What?"

"What?" Dean scoffed. "The Wicca'd Witch of the West in there. Little Miss Positive Energy wanted a bigger office, did a little hoodoo… Boom. I say we put a witch-killing cap in her ass, call it a day."

"Yeah, but we checked the church and Olivia's house," Angela argued. "We didn't exactly find any hex bags."

"So, she covered her tracks."

"But we're not looking at a witch." Sam retorted. "I'm not saying it's not Beth. I'm—I'm just saying we need proof," he added as Dean opened the Impala's trunk. "And look, if it's her, I'll shoot her myself."

Dean picked up a box of witch-killing bullets. "Oh, no, no, no, no. No, I'm definitely shooting her."

Dean closed the trunk. Sam and Angela just looked at each other and sighed deeply before getting in the Impala.

~/~\~

Dean walked over to Sam and Angela. "Coroner says signs of stigmata with a side of scrambled brains, just like Olivia."

"Great." Sam huffed.

"Did you guys find anything?" Dean asked.

"Maybe," Angela muttered. "Kid delivered groceries all over town, so I checked his route against Olivia's case files."

"And?"

"Got a match." Angela handed Dean the files.

Dean looked over the case files and took out his phone, dialing Beth's number. "Tell us about the Petersons."

 _"They're weird."_ Beth's voice rang through.

"How weird?" Dean inquired.

 _"All the way."_ Beth scoffed. _"That family, they're, like, off the charts religious. Old, old Testament. I'm talking no cars, no electricity, no nothing. Kids are homeschooled. Family like that, we try to keep an eye on them, but…"_

"But what, Beth?" Sam asked.

 _"Their oldest, Magda—a few years ago, she got pneumonia, and the family wouldn't let a doctor treat her,"_ Beth explained. _"They said whatever happened was God's will."_

"What happened?" Angela asked.

_"She died."_

Sam pursed his lips. "All right. Um, thank you."

Dean ended the phone call as Sam shook his head.

"So?" Sam raised his brows.

"Weird, creepy, off the grid, 'Children of the Corn' people?" Dean shrugged. "Yeah, I'm in."

Dean started the car and sped off.

~/~\~

Dean drove down the beat-up road and turned into a driveway. He parked at a locked gate with a 'NO TRESPASSING' sign on it. The three hunters got out of the Impala, the brothers wearing sweaters and slacks. Angela wore a pale pink blouse with black dress pants.

"Guess we're walking from here," Dean noted.

Dean walked over the fence and struggled to get over it while Sam and Angela just walked around it. They walked up the driveway and noticed a power pole on the ground, no longer connected.

"Whoa," Dean muttered. "When they cut the cord, they really cut the cord."

"Yeah, no kidding." Sam scoffed.

"How fast do you think their buggy goes?" Dean snorted. "Like, top speed?"

"Hey, about yesterday…" Sam trailed off.

"Oh, all right," Dean rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Next time you gotta take a leak, I'll pull over."

"I'm not talking about that." Sam scoffed. "I'm talking about you and Mom."

"What about her?" Dean grumbled. "What, she and Robert took some cash, she took a cell phone she doesn't answer, she bailed on us."

"I mean, think about what she's going through, what they're both going through." Angela sighed heavily. "She probably just needs some space. We've been there. We've all had times where we needed time apart."

"And we all came back." Dean retorted.

"You don't think she's going to?" Sam raised his brows.

"I don't know," Dean admitted. "She hates the way that we were raised. She hates the fact that we're hunters. Maybe she starts walking and she doesn't stop. You know, she obviously has zero interest in keeping this family together."

"Well, you know, sometimes families do better after a little time apart." Sam reasoned.

"Yeah, who? The Mansons?" Dean muttered grumpily.

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked up to the house. There were sounds of various animals in the distance.

"Can I help you?" Abraham asked as he walked around the house.

"Um, Abraham Peterson?" Sam asked. "I'm James Morrison. These are my associates, Ray Manzarek and Jane Densmore. Uh, we're your new caseworkers with Child Protective Services."

"Pleasure to meet you." Abraham nodded.

"Pleasure to meet you." Angela smiled gently.

"Yeah, thought you'd be, uh, you know, long beard, suspenders, big hat." Dean chuckled.

Abraham laughed lightly. "We're not that kind of religious."

"Ah." Dean nodded.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela sat in the Petersons' living room with Mr. and Mrs. Peterson.

"Mr. and Mrs. Peterson," Angela started. "We're here because your previous caseworker, Olivia Sanchez, has passed away."

"What happened?" Abraham inquired.

"We're not sure yet," Dean answered.

"How often did she visit?" Sam asked.

"Every few months." Abraham shrugged.

"We liked her better than the other one—that Beth," Gail added.

Sam's brows furrowed slightly. "And what was wrong with Beth?"

"She hated us because of our faith," Gail replied. "Olivia Sanchez was a Baptist, but… at least she believed in God."

"Hmm." Dean hummed.

Gail smiled softly. "Do you three know God?"

"Oh, yeah," Dean chuckled. "Yeah, we're—we're besties."

Suddenly, Elijah walked into the room and whispered something to Abraham.

"Okay," Abraham pursed his lips. "Um… I'm a little embarrassed to ask, but do you think one of you boys might help me with something?"

~/~\~

Outside the house, Abraham, Dean, and Elijah stood around the broken buggy.

"So, what happens when, uh, stuff like this goes wrong and no one's around to help you?" Dean asked curiously.

"Pray harder," Elijah answered.

"See, I'm not good with all this," Abraham admitted. "I was a computer programmer until about five years ago."

Dean's brows furrowed. "What made you move out to the middle of nowhere?"

"Oh, the world out there is all distractions," Abraham answered. "Consumerism, corporations. And the people, if they're not shopping or stuffing their face, they're sitting in front of some screen watching fake people do fake things, while the real world just gets more and more screwed up. Gail and I, we didn't want that for our kids, so… so here we are, sweatin' our butts off."

"The things you do for your family. Hmm." Dean nodded.

"It's ready." Elijah cut in.

"All right let's get this wheel on. On three. One, two, three."

Together, Dean, Elijah, and Abraham raised the buggy and put the wheel back on.

"Okay." Elijah nodded.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela looked at a family picture that was on the fireplace mantle.

"We're out of coffee. Hope lemonade's all right." Gail walked into the living room with three glasses.

"Oh, yeah. Great." Sam nodded.

"Thank you," Angela added.

"Welcome." Gail smiled.

"Happy family." Angela nodded to the framed picture.

"No, they weren't." Gail shook her head. "The father was working 80 hours a week to barely pay the mortgage. And what little time he did spend at home, he spent in a bottle. Children were on four different kinds of behavior-enhancing medication and barely spoke. Could text up a storm, though. And the mother, she was the worst. She was so pilled up, she could barely think straight."

Sam's brows furrowed. "So, what happened?"

"God showed them a better way." Gail smiled. "I was in a car accident. Almost died. Nerves in the lower half of my body are damaged."

"Wow." Sam and Angela muttered.

"I saw doctors," Gail added. "No one could stop the pain. Best they could do was give me drugs, which helped for a while."

"Yeah," Sam whispered.

"But the more I took, the more I needed. And when I didn't get them…" she trailed off. "And then one night, when things were at their worst, I was… lying in a puddle of my own sick. I heard a voice. It was God's voice. And he said, 'Go, live a life of simplicity and humility, and all your pain will be taken away."

"So, has the pain gone away?" Angela asked softly.

"I get by, with His grace."

"Mrs. Peterson, um, what can you tell us about Ricky Copeland?" Sam asked curiously.

"The delivery boy?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Comes by once a week, brings us things we can't grow ourselves." Gail shrugged. "Why?"

"Well… He's dead, too." Angela replied gently.

"I see." Gail pursed her lips.

Angela frowned slightly. "You see? That's it?"

"God has a plan for us all," Gail assured.

Sam clenched his jaw slightly. "So, what happened to your daughter, was that God's plan?"

"Yes."

"She didn't have to die," Angela replied. "She was sick. If you had taken her to a doctor—

"God does—

"God doesn't care what kind of life you live." Sam interrupted angrily. "Trust me. And God didn't kill your daughter. You did."

"Think you three should go," Abraham said suddenly, standing in the hallway with Elijah and Dean.

~/~\~

Dean opened the trunk of the Impala. "All right. We're clear on what we gotta do, right?"

"Yeah, definitely." Sam took out his EMF meter.

Dean's brows furrowed in confusion. "What's that for?"

"To track down Magda's ghost. What's…" Sam looked down at the gun.

"Beth. The witch."

"Dean, this isn't a witch," Angela argued.

"Well, it's not a ghost." Dean scoffed.

"Those people let their daughter die." Sam retorted. "She's angry and wants revenge."

"Yeah, but they're alive. Besides, how—how she getting around town, huh? Ghosts are tied to one place."

"Or—or to a person or a thing." Angela shrugged.

"Oh, you're reaching." Dean rolled his eyes.

"And you're not?" Sam scoffed. "Beth didn't even know the delivery boy."

"Maybe, maybe not, but I'm gonna find out."

"Look, you didn't spend alone time with that woman," Angela stressed. "She is disturbed."

"The family's weird, but they're good people. Look, Beth wanted the better job, she killed to get it. End of story."

"You're wrong," Sam stressed.

"All right, look, you guys got your ideas, I got mine. You wanna stay here and, uh, scan the farm for EMF, you go right ahead. I'm on Beth."

"Fine," Angela replied. "We'll see who's right."

"Well, you'll see I'm right," Dean muttered.


	8. American Nightmare Part 2

Later that night, Sam and Angela walked into the Peterson farm with their EMF meters and flashlights. They heard a door creak and hid quickly as Abraham and Elijah entered.

"Elijah? What's wrong?" Abraham asked worriedly.

"Mom's with Magda."

"Your mother's doing God's work," Abraham assured.

"She's _hurting_ her," Elijah argued.

"Son," Abraham sighed heavily. "The Devil's a deceiver. Don't let him sow doubt in you."

A horse whinnied from the stall that Sam and Angela were hiding in.

"If anyone found out about Magda, they'd come for her." Abraham continued as he grabbed a bucket and hung it in the stall. "And if that happened… I love your sister… but you know what she can do. Magda… Magda's our cross to bear."

Abraham and Elijah left the barn. Sam and Angela left the stall, taking out their cell phones, but receiving no signal.

"Come on." Sam groaned.

~/~\~

Beth sat at her desk, bored out of her skull.

"Working late?" Dean asked suddenly.

Beth startled and looked up to see Dean standing in the doorway, hands behind his back. "Oh. Sorry, Agent, you surprised me."

"No worries." Dean smiled.

"Can I help you?"

Dean walked further into the room, holding a gun behind his back. "How you liking the new gig?"

"I hate it." Beth huffed.

Dean's brows raised in shock. "What?"

"Yeah," Beth muttered. "You make more, but you work more. And if somebody screws up, that's on you. If somebody blows a deadline, that's on you. And if somebody's photocopying their ass in the breakroom, you have to adult and act all mad, even though it's kind of hilarious. Being the boss sucks. I don't know how Olivia did it."

"I—I thought you _wanted_ this job."

Beth chuckled. "No. Nobody wants this job."

"Oh," Dean muttered as he tucked the gun into the back of his pants.

"So… why are you here?"

"Um…" Dean trailed off.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela looked into the window of the basement and saw Gail walking around Magda, who was whipping herself.

"W-Al this-that-lak…" Gail chanted. "A-pawch me-'av-dawch. A-Ni yaw-thi sar-hev a-rum 'yawk Li."

Magda cried out in pain as Sam and Angela looked on in disgust.

"Again," Gail commanded. "Again!"

Magda continued sobbing and she whipped herself again.

"Ra-chamawch this-tha-kal lwaw-thi. Shezev-No mba'Le dvawv-vay. A-Ni yaw-thi a-do-naw a-rum tawv."

Suddenly, Sam's phone buzzed and he turned to grab it. He and Angela moved out of sight before Gail turned to look at the window.

"Hey," Sam answered his phone quietly.

 _"Beth is not a witch."_ Dean's voice rang through. _"You guys were right about the whole ghost thing."_

"Listen, Magda is still alive," Sam replied quickly.

_"Wait, what?"_

"Yes, Magda's not dead. She's alive."

Suddenly, Sam and Angela heard the sound of a shotgun cocking.

 _"Sam,"_ Dean called out.

Sam and Angela turned to see Elijah holding a shotgun.

"Don't move," Elijah warned.

 _"Sammy? Angie?"_ Dean asked in concern.

"Okay, listen to us," Angela pleaded. "We can help your sister, okay? We just need you to trust us here."

Suddenly, Abraham came up behind the couple and hit them with a stick, knocking them unconscious.

~/~\~

"Sam? Sammy? Angie?" Dean asked as he rushed into the Impala and sped off.

~/~\~

"Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down," Magda hummed.

Sam and Angela awoke and found themselves on the basement floor with their hands tied behind their backs.

"You okay, baby?" Sam asked in a hushed whispered.

"I'm fine," Angela murmured. "How about you?"

"I'm good," Sam replied softly.

"You may talk about your men of Gideon, you may talk about your men of…" Magda continued humming.

"Magda?" Angela asked, catching the girl's attention. "Magda Peterson."

"That's not my name," Magda replied. "I'm not Magda. I'm the Devil."

"No," Sam shook his head. "No, you're not. You're really not."

"He's inside me." Magda continued. "I can hear him whispering. He lets me hear what people are thinking. He lets me do things."

"What kind of things?" Angela asked gently. "Magda, we're here… we're here to help you, hon. Show us. Please."

Magda looked up at the cross that was mounted on the wall. With the power of her mind, she made it come off of the wall and hover.

~/~\~

"Magda… You're not the Devil." Sam stressed. "You're just psychic. There are others out there like you, like—like me and Angie. We have powers, too. We'd get these visions sometimes and—and I could move things with my mind."

"You can do that?" Magda asked.

"Well, no, not anymore, I don't think," Angela answered. "But that didn't make us the Devil. It—it—it just made us who we are."

"Then you are evil," Magda replied. "Mother says I'm evil, 'cause I hurt people."

Sam's brows furrowed slightly. "Who did you hurt?"

"I didn't mean it." Magda murmured. "She was pretty, and she always smiled. And I thought maybe she could help me. I couldn't talk to her, but I could hear her thoughts. And I thought maybe I could make her hear mine. So, I prayed. Prok yaw-thi a-law-haw. Tma-'ith bama-'a-ma-ke syawn w-leth a-Thar lma-kum. And I reached out to her… but she never came. And I did it again with the delivery boy. Mother says I killed them."

"Magda, that wasn't your fault," Angela assured. "You are not the Devil. You're not evil. And it's scary. I—I know it's scary. But you can learn how to control it. You don't ever have to hurt anyone ever again."

Suddenly, the door opened. Magda's chains rattled as she turned toward the sound. Abraham and Elijah walked down the stairs, and Abraham held the shotgun.

"It's time for supper," Elijah said.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were tied to the dining room chairs in the Peterson's dining room. Gail grabbed a pot of stew and brought it to the table.

"Who's hungry?" she asked with a smile.

"Abraham… your daughter is sick," Angela stressed.

"What do you think we've been doing all these years?" Abraham asked as Gail began to serve the food.

"You talk about knowing God, but we know the Devil," Gail added.

Sam and Angela scoffed as Gail continued to serve the food.

"We've been wrestling with her for years." Gail continued. "You have any idea what she's done?"

"Those people, but… That wasn't her fault." Angela retorted.

"You think they're the first?" Gail's brows shot up. "Tell them. Tell them!"

"Before we came here…" Magda stared at the table. "I wanted a new cell phone, but my mom wouldn't buy me one."

"We were driving home, and she screamed at me to pull over," Gail recalled. "And I felt the Devil at my hands. I yanked that wheel right into oncoming traffic. She did this to me. She did this to us. She has taken lives. Don't you understand that by keeping her here, we're protecting you?"

"By doing what? Beating the hell out of her?" Sam snapped.

"That's not how you treat your kid." Angela sneered.

"Pain purges sin," Gail replied.

"No, it doesn't. You're wrong." Angela stressed. "Abraham."

"It's time." Gail sat down at the table.

The family bowed their heads in prayer.

"We thank you for these bountiful gifts," Abraham prayed. "May they nourish our body and soul. And look after each one of us, now and until our dying day. Amen."

"Amen." Gail and Elijah repeated.

Abraham took a bite of his stew. "Mm."

"Dig in, everyone. Elijah." Gail smiled.

Suddenly, Abraham dropped his spoon and began choking.

"Dad?" Elijah frowned.

Abraham continued choking and began to foam at the mouth.

"Abraham?" Sam and Angela asked worriedly.

Abraham grabbed at his throat and Elijah rose from his seat.

"Dad?"

"Shh." Gail hushed as she stood up.

Abraham continued to choke until he fell face-first into his bowl of stew.

"What did you do?" Angela asked in disbelief.

"Eat," Gail instructed as she sat back down.

"What did you do?!" Sam roared.

"This is how we will stay together. We will enter Heaven as a family. Eat!"

"Elijah, do not eat that," Angela stressed. "Elijah!"

Elijah picked up a spoonful of stew as Gail rose. "Mom?"

Gail moved so that she stood right next to her son. "Eat."

"Elijah, do not do it," Sam said firmly.

"Eat!" Gail yelled.

"No!" Magda screamed.

Elijah dropped the spoon and Magda stood up.

"Devil." Gail glared icily.

Suddenly, dishes and bowls flew off the table. Gail looked down and reached for a knife. She lunged for Magda.

"No!" Elijah jumped in front of Magda.

As he jumped in front of his sister, the knife plunged into his chest. Gail pulled the knife out and Elijah fell to the floor. Gail lunged at Magda with the knife, but her forward motion stopped before she could complete it.

"I'm not the Devil. You are." Magda clenched her jaw.

Sam and Angela tried to get out of their chairs as Gail fought the knife that was slowly turning in her direction.

"Magda, stop!" Angela pleaded. "You don't have to do this. You could control it."

"Magda, nobody else has to die," Sam added. "Please!"

The knife paused at Gail's chest. Magda released control of the knife and it fell to the ground.

~/~\~

Outside the Peterson house, law enforcement and an ambulance were parked outside. An EMT checked Magda as Gail was walked to a police car.

"She's the Devil!" Gail screamed. "The Devil is among us! She must be cleansed! She is the Devil! Pray for us!"

"Sorry I missed all the psycho." Dean scoffed.

"Hey, you thought our family was crazy," Sam replied as he wrapped an arm around Angela's waist.

"Yeah." Dean agreed as the police car drove away.

The three hunters walked over to check on Magda.

"Hey, Magda." Angela smiled softly. "Are you holding up?"

"Beth called my aunt in California. I'm gonna be staying with her."

"She has a ranch," Beth added. "Lots of wide-open country."

"Well, that's great." Dean nodded. "You know, sometimes in order to figure things out, a person needs space."

"Agent, can I talk to you?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, sure."

Dean and Beth walked off while Sam and Angela sat next to Magda.

"Magda, I—I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but… you're gonna be all right," Sam assured. "You can do this. You will do this. Just remember, that power… it doesn't control you. You control it."

"I know." Magda nodded.

"If you ever need anything, anything, call us, okay? We'll be there, hon." Angela comforted.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked down the driveway toward the Impala.

"Think you made the right call back there, letting her go?" Dean asked.

"I hope so." Sam sighed heavily. "I mean, Magda didn't know what she was doing. She had no idea. I think she deserves a second chance."

"What did Beth want?" Angela quirked a brow.

"She gave me her number, her personal number," Dean smirked.

"You were gonna shoot her." Angela scoffed.

"Yeah, I know." Dean chuckled. "Kinda weird. Kinda hot."

"Hey, um… did you mean what you said back there?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, you guys were right," Dean admitted. "The whole mom thing, it's… I mean, we get her back, and then she leaves. I hate it, but I get it. I do. I guess I just… still working through some of that crap. I'll try to be less of a dick about it."

"Deal." Sam nodded.

Dean's cell phone chimed and he looked down to see two texts from Mary that said, _'Hey Dean, phone died, didn't have a charger. Things are good. I'll always be mom. Tell Sam I love you boys and tell Angie I say hi.'_ Dean smiled and looked up as he put his phone in his pocket.

"What?" Sam and Angela asked.

"Nothing." Dean shrugged.

Dean opened the door, and they all piled into the Impala before speeding away.


	9. The One You've Been Waiting For Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Dean sat at the kitchen table typing away as Sam, Angela, and Grace walked in. Sam and Angela carried grocery bags while Grace ran over to her uncle.

"Hi Unca Dean." Grace smiled sweetly.

"Hey, sweetheart." Dean greeted.

"Hey," Angela started. "Sammy and I got everything on the list."

"So, what are you thinkin', scrambled or fried?" Sam asked his brother.

"I'm not really hungry right now," Dean muttered, not taking his eyes off of his laptop.

"Y-you're not that…" Sam stammered before opening a box that contained a blueberry pie. "How about some pie?"

Dean snuck a glance at the dessert. "Maybe later. Kind of in the middle of something."

Angela sighed heavily as she walked over and picked up Grace. "All right, Dean, _something's_ wrong."

"No." Dean denied.

"I get it," Sam shrugged. "If Mom—

"I'm gonna stop you right there, okay?" Dean interrupted. "Look, Mom needed her space, and I told you guys I'm cool with it."

"But are you really?" Angela quirked a brow. "Because, you know, I get it, I wish my dad were here."

Dean huffed and brought his laptop to the island. "Happened last night."

"Two killed in mystery fire." Sam read from the computer screen.

"Mm-hmm." Dean hummed as he checked out the pie.

"Mystery fire?" Angela asked.

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "The kind that doesn't burn anything but the bodies."

"So, spontaneous combustion," Sam concluded. "What are you thinking? Uh, witch? Dragon?"

"Maybe. Check it out. The old lady? Loaded." Dean explained. "I'm talking Scrooge McDuck swimming in pools of money. So, what's a lady like that doing at some crap store at 3:00 a.m.?"

"Well, it says it was an antique shop," Sam replied.

"So?"

"Rich people like antiquing." Angela shrugged.

"I say we check it out," Dean replied.

"Uh…" Sam sighed heavily. "All right. In the meantime, you sure you don't wanna talk about—

"No." Dean cut his brother off.

"Dean, it's called sublimation," Angela noted.

"Yeah," Dean pursed his lips. "Yeah, it's kinda my thing."

~/~\~

_Columbus, Ohio_

The Impala pulled up to the antique shop and the three hunters got out. Angela took Grace out of her car seat and they all approached the building and inspected the yellow tape that was pulled across the doors.

"Looks like we missed the Calvary," Angela noted.

"I guess we should go home then," Dean muttered.

Sam rolled his eyes and patted his pockets to make sure he had his lock-picking kit.

~/~\~

"All right," Sam started as they entered the shop, shining their flashlights. "I'm guessing that's the first victim." He nodded to a pile of ash.

"Scrooge McDuck lady?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Hmm."

"Which makes this the antique dealer." Angela noticed another pile.

"Yeah. Name was Marvin Brickle." Sam muttered. "Widower. Owned the shop for decades."

"No sulfur," Dean noted.

"Ditto EMF," Sam added as he put his EMF meter away.

"Maybe hex bags?" Angela suggested.

"Yeah," Sam nodded as he and Angela walked toward the computer. "Or, uh, you know… antique shop, full of old stuff. Maybe the guy got his hands on a cursed object… and it went haywire, started killing everybody."

"Yeah, wouldn't be the first time." Dean scoffed as he headed upstairs.

"Right," Sam started tapping keys on the computer.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Dean was touching one of the model ships and accidentally knocked it over.

"Dean…" Angela warned.

"Unca Dean made an oopsie." Grace giggled.

"Don't say it." Dean groaned.

"May—maybe let's not touch anything until we figure out if this stuff wants to kill us or not?" Sam suggested.

"Yeah, I got it," Dean whispered as he moved to another part of the store. He pulled open a hidden door and frowned deeply. "Sam, Angie, I think I found something."

"It looks like the victims were meeting about an antique pocket watch the night they died," Sam called from downstairs.

"Pocket watch?"

"Yeah, according to Marv's email, at least," Angela replied.

Dean opened the door further and his eyes widened. "Uh, guys?"

"Yeah, hold up," Sam called out. "Get this—I hacked into Marv's hard drive. It—it looks like he was conducting… an entire underground business, uh, catering to, uh…"

"Nazi nutjobs?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Angela replied, brows furrowing. "How'd you know that?"

"Might wanna take a look at this."

"Yeah. What are you, uh…" Sam trailed off as he and Angela entered the room full of Nazi relics.

"Oh," Angela muttered. "That's, uh… wow."

"Yeah. Looks like Scrooge McDuck lady got her rocks off by collecting Nazi crap."

"Yeah, guess so." Sam agreed. "Uh, according to Marv's ledger, the watch belonged to a member of Hitler's inner circle."

"So, where is it now?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. The police didn't report finding it." Sam recalled. "And I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that it's probably not out there and probably not in here."

"Yeah."

"I mean… Nazi connection? The immolation M.O.? Sound like anybody we know?" Angela asked.

"The Thule," Dean muttered.

Sam exhaled sharply. "Maybe they crashed the party, took the watch, and torched the bystanders."

"Nazis," Dean huffed. "I hate these guys."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace sat at a diner table and had Aaron Bass on speakerphone. Grace was currently eating chicken tenders and applesauce.

 _"We're halfway through the ledger,"_ Aaron's voice rang through. _"I nailed six, and the golem got the rest. It feels good, you know, finishing what the Judah Initiative started."_

"Your grandfather would be proud," Sam replied.

_"Yeah, well, dropping out of college to wipe out Nazi corpse-bags wasn't exactly my mother's dream, but what are you gonna do?"_

"Hey, uh, you hear about any Thule activity in our neck of the woods?" Dean asked curiously.

 _"Not lately,"_ Aaron answered. _"These Deutsch-nozzles have been sticking to the Fatherland."_

"Lately?" Angela's brows furrowed.

_"Yeah. They're closing ranks. All jumpy."_

"Any idea what's cookin'?" Sam inquired.

 _"Whatever it is, it's big,"_ Aaron stressed. _"We got our hands on a few of their documents. Codenamed the mission 'Das Blut'—'The Blood.'"_

"The…" Sam scoffed. "Wow, that sounds nice and ominous."

_"Right? I mean, we're talking the whole enchilada—the Thule High Command all in one place."_

"Hey, does the, uh, this pocket watch mean anything to you, Nazi-relic wise?" Angela asked.

 _"No. Sorry."_ Aaron apologized.

Sam peeked at a notification on his laptop. "Hey, another body just dropped."

"Aaron, we're gonna have to call you back, bud," Dean told him before hanging up.

~/~\~

The coroner rolled the body away and the three hunters, in their FBI apparel, were speaking to a medic. Grace stood next to Sam, holding his hand.

"By the time we got there, he was ash and bone." The medic explained. "What does that to a human being?"

"You find anything else?" Dean questioned.

"Just the body. The other victim was lucky. She got away, ran to her neighbor's, and called for help."

"So, where's the survivor now?" Angela inquired.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace exited the building just in time to see Ellie pleading for help.

"You see that?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam and Angela replied.

"We gotta follow that car," Dean muttered. "Oh, I've always wanted to say that."

Angela picked up Grace and they all piled into the Impala. Grace sat on Angela's lap and the Impala sped after the stolen police car.

~/~\~

"Father…" Christoph spoke on the phone. "Yes, I have her. I'm here now. It's all locked. That's not fair. You know, I try with you. I really do. But you expect me to be a mind reader," he huffed as he searched for the keys. "And it's exhausting." He added before he heard the sound of a gun cocking. "Father, I gotta go."

"Well, family drama's a bitch, ain't it?" Dean glared. "Move."

~/~\~

Sam and Dean released Ellie and handcuffed Christoph to a chair. Angela held Grace on her hip.

"So, if you're not cops, then what are you?" Ellie demanded.

"There are things out there that shouldn't exist," Angela explained gently. "Bad things. We kill them. It's kind of our job."

"Yeah, so your safest place is with us right now," Dean added.

"Uh-huh. Safe from… Nazi zombies." Ellie replied skeptically.

"Necromancers." Sam corrected. "They use blood magic to make themselves almost immortal."

"Almost?"

"Well, you shoot 'em in the head, set 'em on fire, that usually does the trick." Dean shrugged.

"This is completely insane." Ellie shook her head.

"Ellie, you saw what they did to your friend." Angela reminded.

"Okay, but… why—why would they kill Nick? And why kidnap me?"

"Those are great questions." Dean nodded as he looked at Christoph. "What do you tools want with the watch? And what does it have to do with her?"

"You're gonna have to kill me." Christoph retorted.

Dean pursed his lips. "All right. Want to, uh…"

"Yep. All right, let's go for a walk." Sam told Ellie.

"Wait," her eyes widened. "No. No. You can't just shoot him!"

"Oh, no, sure I can." Dean cocked his gun. "See, I do it all the time."

"Oh, my…"

"You don't wanna watch this," Angela told Ellie.

"All right!" Christoph exclaimed. "All right, all right. Just… It belongs to my father. Commandant Nauhaus, Thule High Command? Ranking officer?"

"Okay." Sam nodded. "See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"Carry on," Angela told the young man.

"You don't understand." Christoph shook his head. "He'll kill me."

Dean waved his gun. "What do you think this is, a tickle party?"

Christoph sighed heavily. "It started at the end of the war. The Soviets had surrounded the Fuhrerbunker. Everyone knew it was over—everyone except my father."

"All right, skip the foreplay." Dean rolled his eyes. "What did your dad do to Hitler?"

"He saved his life," Christoph answered. "Well, he saved his soul. Like, literally. The watch, it's like a—it's like a Horcrux." He added, earning a blank look from Dean.

"It's a Harry Potter thing," Sam told his brother.

Dean rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Oh, you would know that."

"Anyways…" Angela cut in. "So, the watch holds Hitler's soul?"

"Right." Ellie scoffed. "You—you trapped Hitler's soul in a pocket watch? Why is that? For safekeeping?"

"No. To bring him back." Christoph replied, causing Ellie to laugh. "It sounded bonkers to me the first time I heard it, too."

Sam's brows furrowed in confusion. "The first time you heard it? Weren't you there?"

"What? No, man. I was born in Buffalo in '94." Christoph informed. "Listen, this whole, 'let's bring Hitler back' is more of an O.G. Thule plan. All they do is yap about it."

"He's joking, right? Right?" Ellie asked. "This is—this is a joke."

"Okay, wait. Let's just—let's back up to the part where your dad is going to resurrect Adolph Hitler." Dean muttered.

"After the bunker," Christoph started. "The Thule agents who were smuggling Hitler's soul got whacked by the Soviets."

"So, you lost the watch," Angela replied.

"Hey, I didn't lose it. It ended up with some Russian family. Then the Thule tracked it to China and then to Peru. Then it wound up in that antique shop. So, now they're all hyped to get their Fuhrer-resurrection on."

"This isn't a joke." Ellie realized. "Oh, my God."

"How do they plan on bringing him back?" Dean questioned.

"The soul of Hitler can only inhabit the body of somebody who possesses his blood," Christoph explained.

"His blood. 'Das blut.'" Sam's brows shot up. "So, let me get this straight. The Thule want to upload Hitler into the body of one of his relatives? Do they even exist anymore?"

"Well, there's one right there." Christoph looked at Ellie.

"Wait. Wait. You think I'm related to Hitler?" Ellie asked incredulously. "Okay, that, that—that—that is just hilarious."

"They've been keeping tabs on you your whole life. The Thule track all of Hitler's descendants. You just happen to be in the same state as the watch." Christoph chuckled. "Go figure."

"No." Ellie shook her head in denial. "No way. Okay, my mom, she—she tracked our family all the way back to the Mayflower. She said—

"You're adopted." Christoph interrupted.

Ellie clenched her jaw in anger. "You don't know anything about me."

"You're from Wheaton, Illinois. All-state cross-country all four years."

"Wow." Ellie rolled her eyes. "Wow, way to use the internet."

"You trained to become a doctor, but you dropped out at the sight of your first stiff."

"I am... taking a sabbatical." Ellie corrected.

"You dipped town two days before your wedding."

"He was banging our caterer! You…" Ellie huffed.

"It seems as though this running is a thing for you."

"I-I…" Ellie grunted indistinctly as she left the room quickly.

"See?" Christoph shrugged.

Dean turned to look at Sam and Angela.

"Yeah, we got her." Angela nodded.

"We gotta move," Dean stressed.

"We know," Sam replied.

~/~\~

Ellie sat in another room, pondering, when Sam knocked on the door.

"Hey," Angela greeted as she and Sam walked in. "How you holding up, hon?"

Ellie sniffled. "Well, I, uh, texted my mom, asked if I was adopted. She wrote, 'Honey, call us.' That guy out there just flipped my life inside out in, like, five seconds."

"Ellie, we know it probably feels like that right now, but you can handle this," Sam assured.

"Being a little flighty, I can handle," Ellie replied. "Being related to the biggest genocidal maniac of all time? I don't think so."

~/~\~

Christoph exhaled slowly. "It's been crazy hot lately, right? That global warming…"

Dean sighed heavily and just checked his watch as they waited for Sam, Angela, and Ellie.

~/~\~

"We know it's hard to believe this right now," Sam sympathized. "But it will get easier. Trust me, I've been there."

"Oh, right." Ellie retorted sarcastically. "Did someone wanna use you to resurrect Adolph Hitler?"

"Uh, w—No, not exactly."

"There you go." Ellie sniffled.

"But they did want me to bring back Lucifer," Sam replied. "I was his vessel—

"You almost, _almost_ had me with Hitler." Ellie interrupted. "But Lucifer? Really? The Devil? I can't, okay? I can't do this."

Suddenly, Dean entered the room and looked at Ellie. "All right, meltdown time's over. Listen, you need to face this now. Believe it or not, we actually have the upper hand here. According to, uh, you know, Junior Jackass in there, the Thule want you. Now we can use that. We can set a trap."

"Oh. Oh, now you wanna use me as bait?!"

"We don't want to use you as bait, Ellie, but…" Angela sighed. "We have the opportunity to take out the entire Thule High Command in one shot."

"Now does that sound scary?" Dean asked. "Yeah, you bet. But there are times when you run and there are times when you stand and fight. Now is one of those times when you fight. Now we promise that we will keep you safe."

Ellie noticed a few men coming into the parking garage. "Oh, my God."

Dean turned around and groaned. "You gotta be kidding me."

Sam pushed Ellie to the ground. "Get down."

Angela set Grace down next to Ellie. "Grace, stay here and stay down. Okay?"

"Okay, Mommy." Grace nodded, her eyes wide.

Dean opened the door and shot at the Thule. The hunters battled it out with three of the men as Christoph untied himself. The three hunters were thrown around, but managed to get a few licks in themselves.

"Verstanden?" one of the men asked. "Ruckzug! Sie ist auf der Flucht!"

"Go!" one of the other men yelled.

The four men ran off and the hunters went back to the room to check on Ellie and Grace.

"Ellie?" Sam frowned when he noticed she was gone.

Angela ran over to her Grace and picked her up, making sure that she was okay.

"The lady ran, Mommy." Grace looked up at her mother.

"Dean! We got a problem!" Angela called out.


	10. The One You've Been Waiting For Part 2

Sam, Dean, and Angela had changed out of their FBI apparel and Dean slammed the trunk closed as Sam hung up the phone. Grace sat in the Impala playing with her stuffed animal.

"Still not picking up." Sam sighed heavily.

"Awesome," Dean muttered sarcastically.

"Maybe she got spooked." Angela shrugged.

"Well, isn't running a whole thing with her?" Dean asked.

 _"Hey, it's Ellie. You know what to do."_ Her voicemail rang through the speaker.

"Ellie, it's Sam Winchester. Again." Sam said. "Listen, I know all this Hitler stuff is confusing, but I promise we can explain it. And we can keep you safe. Just call me back. Okay?"

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace were in the diner. The hunters were searching through the internet on their laptops while Grace slept in Sam's lap.

"All right, there's gotta be a tracking spell, right?" Angela suggested.

"Yeah, maybe if we had something to track."

"Well, guess we hack every traffic light in the city until we find her," Dean muttered.

Sam just flapped his lips in frustration.

~/~\~

"Gracias," Dean thanked the waitress as she refilled his coffee. "Anything?"

"No," Sam shook his head. "I—I—I mean, I have no idea how we're gonna find her."

"Hi," Christoph greeted as he slid into the booth next to Sam and Dean cocked the gun under the table. "If you wanna find Ellie, you have to protect me."

"Protect you?" Dean raised his brows. "Why should we believe anything you say?"

Christoph sighed. "Don't look now. Across the street, there's a Thule agent right beside the dumpster outside. Is that enough? I just killed one of my dad's guys."

"Could be a trap." Angela glared.

"It's not," Christoph stressed. "Do you know what it was like to have a Nazi necromancer for a father? It sucked. Christmas was a joke. Career Day at school was a nightmare. All I do is try to make him proud, I'll never be good enough. He asked a guy named Fritz to kill me."

"Okay, well, there's that," Dean muttered.

"We'll hear you out," Angela told the young man. "Where is she?"

"I can take you to her."

"All right, you guys get the car," Dean instructed. "I'll take care of the Kraut. All right."

"Go," Sam told Christoph.

~/~\~

The Impala pulled up and the three hunters got out and looked around to make sure the coast was clear.

"All right," Sam opened the door and let Christoph out before handcuffing him.

"Hey, what—what are you doing?" Christoph frowned. "Wait, you're just gonna leave me here."

"Pretty much," Sam replied as he locked the other cuff to the steering wheel.

"What? Hey! Hey!"

"Shh." Sam hushed.

Dean lowered the binoculars as Sam and Angela approached. "All right, we got two outside and who knows how many inside."

"Great." Sam and Angela scoffed.

"Ooh." Dean pulled the grenade launcher out of the trunk.

Angela's brows furrowed. "No."

"Why?" Dean practically pouted.

"Dean, we need to be stealth, do this quietly," Angela argued. "Dean? Dean. Hon, we'll get a chance. It's okay."

Dean sighed in disappointment and put the grenade launcher back in the trunk. He cocked his gun. "Let's go kill some Nazis."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the building, making sure to be as quiet as possible.

"Should've just brought the grenade launcher," Dean muttered. "Admit it though, you're having fun."

Suddenly, three Thule agents came up and pointed their guns at the hunters.

Sam sighed deeply. "Yeah, so much fun."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were brought to the room that Ellie was being kept in. The three hunters stood in front of who they thought was Nauhaus.

"Well, if it isn't Father of the Year." Dean sassed.

Hans smacked Dean upside the head. "Address den Fuhrer with respect!"

Angela's brows furrowed. "Fuhrer? Hitler?"

"Hitler." Dean realized.

"Sam, Dean, and Angela Winchester." Hitler smiled manically. "You must be important. He feared you." He added as he pointed to his head. "Nauhaus, still up here."

"A nice new meat suit. It come with two testicles this time?" Dean asked.

"One of many upgrades I'm enjoying. Like this!" Hitler held up his cell phone. "It's like having a tiny Goebbels in my pocket! I sold 10 million copies of 'Mein Kampf.' What do you think I can do with Twitter?" he chuckled before exhaling sharply. "Where is my plane?!"

Meanwhile, Ellie was trying to get off the gurney.

"Almost ready, Fuhrer," Hans assured.

"Good."

"What shall we do with them?" Hans asked.

"Take them with us. I shall very much enjoy introducing them to my new dogs." Hitler smiled.

Ellie, who had managed to get out of her bonds, grabbed a nearby fun and fired a shot, killing one of the Thule agents. A fight broke out amongst everyone in the room.

"No, wait. Wait." Hitler breathed heavily as Dean approached. "No. I—I can explain."

Dean knocked Hitler out and pulled out his gun, aiming for Hitler's head. "Heil this." He said before shooting him directly in the forehead.

"Thank…" Ellie exhaled before passing out.

"Dude…" Sam stared at Dean.

"You killed Hitler," Angela whispered.

"Yeah," Dean realized. "Awesome."

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, Dean, and Ellie walked toward the Impala as the sun came up.

"I killed Hitler. I killed Hitler. I _killed_ Hitler." Dean beamed. "I think that entitles me to free drink for the rest of my life. I'm gonna get t-shirts made."

"You know no one's gonna believe you, right?" Angela quirked a brow.

"But you and Sammy believe me. You were there." Dean replied.

Once they got to the car, Dean opened the door and looked at Christoph. Grace stirred in her car seat and started to wake up.

"All right, let's go." Dean unlocked the handcuffs.

"Hold up, you're not gonna kill me?"

"No, we had a deal. Besides, you got bigger problems." Dean replied.

"The Thule that are left are gonna hunt you as a traitor forever," Sam informed. "Our advice? Run."

"Why don't you head back to Buffalo?" Dean suggested. "Nobody goes to Buffalo."

Christoph disappeared around the corner, leaving the hunters and Ellie to get into the Impala.

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Ellie walked toward her apartment door after driving back to the city. Meanwhile, Dean was entertaining Grace in the Impala.

"So, how you holding up?" Sam asked gently.

"Uh, well, we just burned a pile of dead Nazi zombie bodies. One of which I killed, so maybe, like, third worst day ever." Ellie replied. "I've had a rough time lately."

"Yeah, and then all this happens." Angela sighed.

"I think I'm gonna be okay, though. I should probably call my mom. You can only run for so long, you know?" Ellie shrugged. "So, uh, what do you think is harder, facing the reincarnation of Hitler or going back to med school?"

"I think I gotta say, Hitler." Angela chuckled.

"Yeah, I think—I think so." Ellie laughed. "Thank you for everything."

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Uh… take care of yourself."

"Yeah." Ellie smiled before walking into her apartment.

Sam and Angela got back into the Impala and Dean looked at them.

"Good to go." Sam nodded.

"You know, I was thinkin'…" Dean trailed off. "We passed a bakery on the way into town. Sign said, 'Best pie for a thousand miles.'"

"So, now you want pie?" Angela laughed.

"I want pie!" Grace exclaimed.

"I killed Hitler." Dean grinned. "I think I deserve some pie. Did I mention I killed Hitler?"

"Angie and I are never gonna hear the end of this, are we?"

"Probably not," Dean admitted.


	11. Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox Part 1

_Sioux Falls, South Dakota_

Jody brought pizza and a glass of red wine over to the couch and sat down. "Aah, Netflix. What do you recommend to fill my day off? Speak to me."

Suddenly, someone knocked on the front door and Jody sighed heavily. She got up and answered the door, only to see Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace.

"Hi Auntie Jody." Grace waved.

"Hi, sweetheart," she smiled before looking at the hunters. "Wow, you look terrible. What's wrong?"

"Sure, we'd love to come in," Dean replied, giving Jody a hug as he entered the house.

"Sorry for barging in," Angela apologized as she adjusted Grace in her arms.

"Hey," Sam kissed Jody's cheek. "Yeah, we just finished a hunt in Brookings."

"And you couldn't shower first?" Jody asked as she closed the front door.

"At least you didn't have to sit in a car with them." Angela teased.

"Ha-ha." Sam rolled his eyes. "We figured we'd stop by on the way home and see you, Claire, and Alex."

"Aw, that's fun. Unfortunately, the girls are in Omaha for the weekend being angsty at a Radiohead concert." Jody explained. "But I can feed you."

"Ooh." Sam grinned.

"Yes. Alright." Dean nodded. "Oh, uh… Since the last time we saw you? I killed Hitler."

"Oh, God," Angela rolled her eyes. "He's been talking about it non-stop."

Jody's brows furrowed and she looked perplexed. "Thank you?"

Dean nodded, very pleased with himself. "You're welcome."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, Jody, and Grace were in the living room watching a romantic movie while they ate pizza.

"Jody, you watching some kind of chick flick here?" Dean asked through a mouthful of pizza.

"Well, Dean, I'm a chick." Jody chuckled.

"No," Dean shook his head. "No, no. You're—you're a badass sheriff chick. You're not a—a rom-com chick. Wait, _are_ you a rom-com chick?"

"Are you?" Jody quirked a brow.

"He's more of a, uh… animated Japanese erotica chick," Sam said through a mouthful.

"Wha's that?" Grace looked up at her father.

"Nothing," Angela replied immediately, shooting Sam a look.

Jody leaned forward in interest. "Really?"

Dean just glared at Sam and looked uncomfortable.

"Mm-hmm." Sam hummed.

Suddenly, Jody's phone rang in the other room and she stood up to answer it.

"I need to leave this scintillating conversation." She chuckled before leaving.

"Don't tell her that," Dean grumbled petulantly.

"Tell her what?" Sam smirked.

"It's Jody, man."

"Dude, be proud of your hobbies." Sam shrugged. "It makes you who you are."

Jody walked back into the living room, clearly upset.

Angela frowned in concern. "Jody?"

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela followed Jody to her bedroom, where she was packing some clothes.

"Jody, what's up?" Dean asked worriedly.

"A friend of mine died." Jody's voice cracked.

"Who?" Sam frowned.

"Asa Fox."

Sam and Angela sighed deeply, feeling for Jody.

Dean's brows furrowed a bit. "Asa Fox. Why does that name sound familiar?"

Isn't he the guy that Ellen used to tell stories about back at the Roadhouse?" Angela recalled.

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "Supposedly he killed, like, five wendigos in a night."

"Yeah. Yeah, he was a hunter." Jody nodded. "He, uh, he rolled into town a few months back, tr-tried to convince me he was FBI Agent Fox Mulder. He was chasing a pack of ghouls and I helped. He'd pass through every once in a while after that and we'd go grab co…coffee or… something." She explained. "Oh, he was a good man. The… the wake's tonight, and, um… They're gonna salt and burn the body tomorrow. I can't believe I just said that like it's something normal."

"Well, we're gonna come with you," Dean replied.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"You don't have… I'll be fine," Jody assured.

"Yeah, no, Jody, we… we know you'll be fine, but… you know, we never go to hunter gatherings, outside of bars," Angela replied.

"Yes, you'd be doing us a favor if you let us tag along," Dean added.

"Thank you." Jody smiled softly. "You're gonna have to get cleaned up before we spend five hours in a car together."

"I second that," Angela gave the brothers a pointed look.

"Five hours?" Dean asked. "Where, uh, where we going?"

~/~\~

_Emerson, Manitoba, Canada_

The Impala pulled up outside of Asa's very large home.

"O, Canada." Dean sighed ash they all got out of the Impala.

"That is a big house," Sam noted as he took Grace out of her car seat.

"Family home," Jody replied. "Asa was just a guy."

~/~\~

Inside the house, loud rock music was blaring throughout the rooms and a large crowd of people was mingling and drinking, when Sam, Angela, Dean, and Jody entered. Lorraine, Asa's mother immediately noticed Jody and walked over.

"Jody!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Jody, thanks for comin'."

"Mmm," Jody hugged the older woman. "Lorraine, of course. How you holding up?"

"Well, it's a house full of loud, drunk hunters, and my son's dead body is in the parlor," Lorraine replied. "But I haven't slit my wrists yet. Small victories."

"We're very sorry for your loss," Angela said sincerely.

"I know. Everyone's sorry." Lorraine muttered before wandering off.

"So… this is gonna be fun," Jody commented, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Jody removed her coat and they all began to mingle with the other hunters.

~/~\~

Dean found his way to the kitchen and picked up a beer from the cooler.

"No label," he commented. "Well, that's a red flag."

"Nah, fully safe. I homebrewed it myself." Bucky walked over, took the bottle from Dean, and opened it for him. "Here. Not a twist-off."

"Ah," Dean nodded as he took the bottle back.

"Oh, hope you like strong beer, buddy."

Dean took a swig from the bottle and hummed. "That's good."

"Ah?"

"Uh, Dean Winchester," he introduced.

Bucky's eyes widened in shock. "The Dean Winchester?"

"No freakin' way," Randy cut in. "Aren't you dead? Like, four times?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded, chuckling awkwardly. "It, uh, didn't take."

"Wait," Elvis interjected. "Your brother here? Sam?"

"Yeah, he's still alive, too. He and Angie—

Elvis didn't even wait for Dean to finish talking before he was out of his seat running off to find Sam.

"Oh." Dean pursed his lips. "Okay. Good talk."

"Yeah, sorry about Elvis." Bucky apologized. "He's, uh… Elvis. I'm Bucky Sims."

"Hey," Dean shook his hand.

"Yeah."

"Randy," the other man introduced. "Randy Bull. Ah!" he mimicked bull horns with his fingers. "Watch out for the horns, right?"

"Heh. Uh, you two hunters?" Dean asked curiously.

"Mm-hmm."

"Yes, sir." Randy nodded. "Did you know Asa?"

"No, no. I never met him. But, uh, heard some crazy stories."

Randy smirked slightly. "Yeah, like what?"

"Well, I mean, come on," Dean laughed. "Nobody can take out five wendigos in a night."

"Hey!" Bucky yelled to the room. "Our famous friend said the magic word. Drink, everybody."

Everybody in the room drank and Dean just looked confused.

"Wendigo? Is that, uh…"

"Do it again!" Bucky exclaimed.

"Okay." Dean nodded.

"Stop saying that or we're not gonna make it to morning," Randy warned.

"Didn't know the rules," Dean muttered.

"You think the stories about Asa are crazy, you should hear what they say about you," Bucky commented.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were in the living room with two young hunters, Max and Alicia. Grace sat on Sam's lap.

"Wait, so you guys were raised by a witch, but you're hunters?" Angela asked curiously.

"Yep." Max and Alicia replied in unison.

"She was, like, a good witch," Max added. "Very Enya. It was the 90's."

"Lots of crystals."

"Mm-hmm."

"She taught me to hunt witches. Uh, bad witches." Alicia explained.

"Sure. And what did she teach you?" Sam asked Max.

"Uh, mostly how to seduce men."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "She also taught him some magic, which is actually more useful."

"Eh, mostly the men thing," Max smirked.

"Max!" Alicia laughed.

"Are you Sam Winchester?" Elvis butted into the conversation. "You are, right? Oh, this is nuts. Wow. Hi."

"Hey," Sam replied uncomfortably.

"Uh, Elvis. Um, Katz." He shook Sam's hand. "Wow. Look, so thing is, I got this friend down in the States, right, who knows this girl who knew your pal, Garth."

"Garth. Right." Sam nodded.

"And, well, he said that she said that Garth said that you were possessed by the Devil?" Elvis asked. "Like, Lucifer. The actual big, bad Devil, and you lived?"

Sam became visibly uncomfortable and Angela narrowed her eyes.

"Why the hell would you ask him something like that?" she demanded.

"I—

"Whoa," Max and Alicia scoffed at Elvis.

"Dude, you don't just ask someone about something that messed up," Alicia added.

"Seriously, back off."

"But it's pretty amazing, huh?" Elvis shrugged.

"N—It—it's really not that amazing." Sam shook his head. "It—it just kind of is what it is. Um… I'm gonna get a beer. Yeah, you good?" he looked at Max and Alicia. "Yeah? Good."

Sam got up, adjusted Grace in his arms, and left quickly. Angela shot a glare at Elvis before following her husband.

~/~\~

Dean was in Asa's office and found an angel blade mounted on blue velvet inside an ornate glass-lidded box. He opened it, reached in, and pulled out the blade, comfortably spinning it in his hand when Sam and Angela walked in.

"Hey." Sam and Angela greeted.

"Hi Unca Dean." Grace smiled.

"Hey, sweetheart." Dean smiled at his niece. "Guys, this is a real angel blade. I mean, this guy was legit."

"Did you know people tell stories about us?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Apparently, we're a little bit legendary." Dean replied.

"Yeah, but, I mean, so was Asa," Angela muttered. "Then a hunt went bad, and he ended up hanging from a tree, alone in the woods."

"He died on the job. No better way to go."

Sam's brows furrowed. "You really believe that?"

"Yeah." Dean shrugged. "What, you don't? I mean, come on, guys, it's not like we're in the 'live till you're 90, die in your sleep business.' This?" Dean pointed at Asa's hunting wall. "This only ends one way."

Angela pursed her lips. "We should get back."

"Yeah." Dean agreed. "Oh, uh, don't say 'wendigo' to anyone."

~/~\~

The party was winding down and guests were leaving. The remaining guests were gathered in the living room to tell more stories.

"And Asa made us go roller skating," Bucky laughed. "And right after these ghouls almost got us. So, there's the three of us, all banged up, with a ton of ironic teenagers skating under these neon lights. You remember this, Jody?"

"Mm-hmm." Jody laughed.

"Oh, it was classic. I mean, you know, until the two of you snuck off for some sweet, sweet time alone." Bucky shot Jody a knowing look.

"Oooh!" Elvis laughed.

"Sweet, sweet time alone?" Dean asked as he, Sam, and Angela walked in.

"You, Jody?" Sam's brows shot up. "You didn't tell us you were in a relationship with Asa."

"You know, she has a life outside of us." Angela reminded her husband.

"Oh, it was just… it was just a casual thing," Jody replied, glancing at Asa's mother. "Sorry, Lorraine."

"Asa was always popular with the ladies," Lorraine recalled.

"Yes, he was." The men in the room agreed.

"Our mom loved him," Max noted. "She used to talk about him all the time."

"See?" Lorraine smirked.

"And, you know, Angie's right," Jody shrugged. "I do have a life when you guys aren't around."

"Beer, anyone?" Randy asked.

"I'm good," Sam replied.

"Yeah." Elvis nodded.

"And, uh, here's a news flash," Jody added as Randy left for another beer. "Dating is hard. It's not like I just turn into a boring, small-town sheriff when you guys are gone. I do stuff. You shouldn't be surprised that I'd enjoy the company of a ruggedly hot man."

"Amen to that." Alicia agreed.

The front door could be heard opening and closing as someone stepped inside the house.

"Hey, you clearly deserve your sweet, sweet time alone," Dean told Jody.

"Well, I mean, it wasn't always sweet."

"Uh… yeah, it's just not how we think of you. You know, I…"

"Good," Jody laughed. "'Cause that would honestly be weird."

"Nobody… nobody said you can't date, right?" Dean chuckled.

Lorraine noticed the newcomers by the door and called out to them. "Come on in, don't hover."

Everyone turned to see the newcomers were Mary Winchester and Robert Morgan.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Grace exclaimed, squirming in Sam's arms.

"Sorry, we knocked," Mary noted awkwardly.

"Hi." Dean breathed out in shock.

~/~\~

Mary, Robert, Dean, Sam, Angela, and Jody stepped out in the front hall for a more private discussion.

"What are you doing here?" Mary's brows furrowed.

"What are you doing here?" Dean demanded.

"We, uh…" Angela cleared her throat. "Asa was a friend of a friend. Uh, friend of Jody's. Jody, Mary Winchester and Robert Morgan. Dad, Mary, this is Jody Mills."

Jody's eyes widened. "Dad? Mary? Wait—your parents?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

Jody looked between Mary and Robert wildly. "I thought—I thought you were…"

"We were," Robert replied.

"Wow," Jody whispered. "W-wow!" she hugged Robert, then Mary. "It is so nice to meet you both. Wow! I'm gonna… I'm j—I'm gonna give you guys some, um, some family time."

Jody left the hunters alone to talk amongst themselves.

"Wow," Mary muttered.

"Where have you both been?" Angela questioned.

"All over," Robert answered. "Mary and I went back to Lawrence for a few days."

"And then, um, I've been using John's journal to retrace a few things," Mary added. "Try to catch up on what I've missed."

"You could've just asked us, you know." Dean retorted.

"Dean, come on." Sam sighed heavily.

"She could've," Dean grumbled.

"It's okay," Mary assured. "He's right. But… This is something Robert and I needed to do together. I… Listen, most of the people we knew are dead. And then we remember Asa."

"He was so young when we met him," Robert added. "Thought he must still be around. And then… we saw an article about his death, and, uh…"

"So, you'll each text us once a week, maybe," Dean glared. "But you'll drive all the way to Canada to see some dead guy? Well, that's awesome. I'm gonna get some air."

"Dean, wait…" Mary tried.

~/~\~

Dean walked toward the front door, where he was met by Jody.

"Hey."

"Hey," Dean grunted.

"You okay?" Jody asked softly.

"Swell." Dean scoffed.

"Huh," she muttered. "Is that why you spent the entire ride up here telling me in extreme, excruciating detail how you killed Hitler, but, uh, you neglected to mention the fact that your mom and Angie's dad are back from the dead?"

"Yeah, no big deal." Dean shrugged it off.

"That's a lie."

"Jody…" Dean sighed.

"Look, maybe this isn't my place," she started gently. "And this is epic stuff, but, you know, if I could have my son and my husband back? I mean really back? I would give anything, absolutely anything to have that. And it would scare the hell out of me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Jody nodded. "Because what if I've changed? What if they changed? What if it just didn't work out the way I wanted? If you wanna talk about anything, absolutely anything, I'm here."

"Thanks, Jody," Dean whispered sincerely.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela found both Mary and Robert in the kitchen. Mary held the box of postcards that Asa never sent and Sam held Grace on his hip.

"Hey." Sam and Angela greeted.

"Hey." Mary and Robert replied flatly.

Angela's brows furrowed in concern. "Everything all right?"

"We're fine." Mary shoved the box into Angela's hands.

Mary and Robert walked off to Asa's office and the younger couple followed behind them.

"It's fine," Mary assured.

"Are you sure?" Sam pressed.

"Robert and I saved Asa when he was a boy," Mary replied. "All of this, it's on us."

"Well, no," Angela shook her head. "Obviously, Asa made his own decisions. And he helped a lot of people, you know?"

"Yeah, I just don't know anymore, Pumpkin." Robert shook his head. "Everywhere we go, and everything we do just… feels wrong. But we'll get used to it. Being back here. We just—

"Yeah, of course." Sam nodded in understanding. "Neither of you have to explain anything. We get it. You guys need space. And—and so does Dean, you? I—I mean, he's—he's just… We just got you guys back. And he's just scared we're gonna lose mom again, that—that because we're hunters, she's gonna walk away. But we know that's true. Even looking at these…" Sam nodded to the box of postcards. "I mean, you both saved Asa in 1980, um, after Dean was born. After everyone thought you quit hunting, Mom. Seems like you couldn't stop then, and… I'm guessing you can't stop now. This job, this life, is crazy and insane. But it's in our blood. Come on."

"Where are we going?" Mary asked in confusion.

"To say goodbye to Asa." Angela smiled gently.

~/~\~

They walked into the room where Asa's body was laid under a shroud, and Mary pulled it back so they could see Asa's face. While they were standing there, blood dripped down onto Asa's forehead. Sam looked confused, then they all looked up at the ceiling, where Randy's dead body was bound to the rafters.

~/~\~

"And Asa loved that Jeep," Bucky recalled. "Fuses were short, fuel line was busted. Ah, he didn't care. He'd just roll up his sleeves, he'd get right to work."

Sam, Angela, Mary, and Robert dashed into the room.

"Guys, we need to leave. Now." Angela stressed.

"Angie? Sam?" Jody frowned.

"Randy's dead," Sam revealed.

"What happened?" Alicia's eyes widened.

"Someone gutted him and roped him to the ceiling. That's what happened." Robert answered.

At that moment, Elvis walked back into the room. "Anyone know why the water's shut off? God, what's that smell?"

"Sulfur." Max and Alicia answered simultaneously as the lights started flickering.

"It's a demon," Mary noted.

"Yeah." Sam agreed.

"It's him." Bucky swallowed nervously.

"Him?" Angela's brows furrowed curiously.

"Jael," Bucky answered. "He's a crossroads demon. And he hangs people. It's his thing. Snaps their neck, slits their throat. He's a real piece of work."

"Hanging? Like with Asa?" Sam asked.

"He's the one that killed him," Bucky replied as he tried to open the sealed door.

Elvis jumped in to help, but they only got it open an inch before it slammed shut again.

"Son of a bitch." Bucky breathed out. "Let me—

"You're wasting your time." Max interrupted as he waved his hand over the door, illuminating glowing red sigils. "The whole house has been warded, inside and out."

"What does that mean?" Jody inquired.

"It means we're trapped," Alicia answered grimly.

~/~\~

Outside the house, Dean was leaning against a car fiddling with his flash. Someone started approaching him from behind.

"Go away." He grumbled.

"You're not the boss of me." Billie retorted.

Dean turned around and his brows furrowed in confusion. "Billie. What're you doing here?"

"My job." She answered vaguely.

Dean chuckled. "Well, I'm not dead yet."

"Shame. But actually, I just finished inside. I was reaping a fresh soul."

~/~\~

Back inside, everyone else was trying to figure out what was going on.

"Look, back in '97," Bucky started. "Asa was working on this case in Yellow Knife, all right? A possession of a First Nations girl. Got real bad, real bloody."

"was it, uh, Jael?" Angela asked.

"Asa exorcised him, but not before Jael killed the girl. He made her tie a noose around her neck and he made Asa watch."

~/~\~

Dean banged on the door, trying to get inside. "Sam! Sammy! Angie! Hey!"

"You can huff and puff," Billie started. "But that house is on supernatural lockdown. They can't even hear you."

~/~\~

"All right," Bucky sighed heavily. "An exorcism ain't like an angel blade."

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "It's not permanent."

"Exactly. Right, so five years later, Jael—he came back, and he came for Asa."

"How so?" Jody questioned.

"Asa was seeing this woman, right? She had a kid."

"Marlene." Lorraine nodded.

"Yeah, Marlene." Bucky nodded. "Jael got into her. It didn't matter that he was killing people, he wanted Asa to know it was personal. He gets off on it."

"Yeah, and now he's here. Possessing someone." Angela muttered.

"Yeah, but who?" Mary asked.

"Alicia wasn't in the room when Randy died," Elvis recalled. "The rest of us were."

"I was getting a drink." Alicia scoffed.

"Dean wasn't in the room either," Max added.

"So, it's Alicia or Dean," Bucky commented as everyone looked at Alicia.

"I'm not!" she exclaimed. "Throw some holy water on me, see what happens."

Angela patted down her jacket for a flask and came up empty. "Anybody packing?"

"We can just make more," Elvis suggested.

"Uh, no we can't. The water's off." Robert reminded.

"She knew it," Elvis pointed at Alicia. "You knew that."

"Oh, come on." She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

~/~\~

Dean turned to Billie and glared daggers at her. "What did you do?"

"It wasn't me. I don't get my hands dirty. Rules. I just clean up the mess." Billie explained. "Still, between us, it's always nice to see a Winchester who can't get what they want."

"You think this is funny? Huh? Hunters are dying in there!"

"Everyone dies." Billie scoffed.

~/~\~

"I think Dean's still outside," Sam noted.

"That does narrow it down…" Mary trailed off.

Suddenly, Alicia started coughing violently and Max slowly walked toward his sister.

"Alicia?"

Alicia giggled. "Alicia's not here right now," she started as her eyes glowed red. "Leave a message," she growled as she punched Mac. "Oh, you're a fun group. We're gonna have a good time tonight."

Jael left Alicia's body in a cloud of demon smoke and flew into the fireplace.

"It's gone." Elvis breathed out in relief.

"Alicia, are you…" Max went to check on his sister.

"It's not gone." Angela shook her head. "It's just not in Alicia anymore. Lorraine, is there anyone else in the house?"

"I don't know. People have been coming and going all day."

"Okay, we're gonna pair off, we're gonna search the house—for people, not demons," Jody instructed. "If you find the demon, yell. We'll find you. And if you're partner gets possessed, run."

"Dad, you're with me," Angela told her father.

"Mom," Sam cocked his head asking Mary to follow him.

"Come on," Jody told Bucky.

Elvis helped Lorraine to sit and told her to stay put.

~/~\~

"You got in there," Dean started. "You got in there to reap that soul. You can get me in."

"I could, I suppose. But—

"Do it!" Dean demanded.

"But it's a one-way ticket. And you're gonna owe me one."

~/~\~

"I got you a double," Elvis offered Lorraine a drink.

Lorraine took a sip when suddenly, the front door started glowing and Dean tumbled through the door and rolled into the room.

"Holy…"

"Where's my brother and Angie?" Dean demanded.

He stormed off, knife drawn, but Elvis stopped him.

"Hey, hold up! How did you…"

"He's the demon!" Lorraine pointed to Dean.

"Demon?" Dean frowned.

"Kill him!" Lorraine cried.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean stopped her. "Easy, lady. Look, I'm not a demon, okay? I'm one of the good guys. Now, stick with me, do what I say, and everybody'll get out of here, okay? Everybody."

"Well, not everybody." Elvis pulled out a knife as his eyes flashed red.


	12. Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox Part 2

Elvis attacked Dean with the knife, but Dean easily evaded him.

"You're kinda slow for a demon, aren't you?" Dean sassed.

"Careful, now," Jael warned. "You'll hurt my feelings, and I might lash out."

Dean easily dodged another attack. "How about you go to Hell?"

"Please," Jael scoffed. "It's a complete train wreck down there. No Lucifer, no Crowley. It's messy."

"No, I mean really. Go to Hell." Dean retorted before he started reciting an exorcism.

"An exorcism? Unh-unh. Elvis is leaving the building."

Jael snapped Elvis's neck and then smoked out of the stairs while Lorraine screamed. Dean grabbed her and helped her get away.

"Come on. Come on. Come on." He urged. "Sammy! Angie!"

Mary, Robert, Sam, and Angela found Dean and Lorraine in the living room.

"Hey." Dean greeted.

"Unca Dean!" Grace exclaimed.

"Dean," Mary's eyes widened. "We thought you were outside."

"Yeah, I got back in."

"How?" Sam frowned.

"It was a one-time deal. Won't happen again," Dean looked around at the assembled crowd. "Is this everybody?"

"Except for Elvis," Jody replied.

"Yeah, demon got him," Dean muttered.

Suddenly, the lights went out and everyone reached for flashlights and lighters, except for Dean, who pulled out the demon blade.

"Well, at least we're all prepared," Alicia commented.

"Yep." Dean nodded.

"Mm, impressive." Alicia looked down at the demon blade.

"Demon blade. Kills 'em dead."

"Nice." Max and Alicia praised simultaneously.

"We gotta light some candles," Bucky interjected.

"A devil's trap," Dean added.

Angela sprang into action and Dean was right behind her.

"On it," she said.

"Yep."

They cleared away the furniture and began lighting candles.

"All right, uh, but how are we gonna lure it inside?" Robert questioned.

"We're not," Dean replied. "We get in. Everybody's in, everybody's clean. If someone won't get in…"

"They're the demon." Mary finished.

"That's right." Dean nodded.

"Smart," she complimented her son.

Dean paused for a moment, slightly shocked. "Thanks."

~/~\~

Angela held Grace as Sam drew out the devil's trap in ashes on the floor.

"What kind of devil's trap?" Max asked.

"Standard pentagram," Sam shrugged. "Nothing fancy."

"I like a Fifth Pentacle of Mars," Max mused. "It's got more character."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Because character is really what matters now."

~/~\~

Jody saw Mary returning to the living room and crouched down beside Sam.

"Sam…" she whispered. "This is awkward, I'm owning that. But the demon… I think it's in your mom."

Sam frowned and looked at Mary. "She looks okay to me."

"I may not know much, but I know people don't 'look' possessed," Jody muttered. "No, I saw her sneak out of the room when you started talking about the devil's trap. Where did she go? I mean, I know she's family, but, Sam…"

Dean and Angela noticed them talking quietly, and they walked toward Sam and Jody.

"What's going on?" Dean questioned.

"Jody thinks that Mom—

"No, I don't think, I know!" Jody exclaimed. "I know she's a demon."

Bucky stepped away from Mary and went for his knife.

"Hey." Mary frowned before turning to Angela's dad. "Robert—

"Kill her!" Jody yelled. "Use the knife! Kill her now!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait," Sam frowned deeply. "Hold on a second, Jody, you… You don't sound like yourself."

"That's because she's not herself." Angela narrowed her eyes. "Are you?"

Jody's eyes flashed red and she laughed shrilly. "Can't blame a girl for tryin'."

~/~\~

Jael groaned in annoyance. "I had so _hoped_ you'd kill your mom! Wouldn't that be a riot?"

"Yeah, _super_ fun," Dean replied sarcastically.

"No," Sam tried to tackle Jael, who threw him across the room.

Dean tried to tackle Jael as well but was also thrown across the room.

"Anybody else?" Jael asked. "Nope? Fine."

Mary drew the angel blade and charged at Jody. She cut Jody's arm before Sam wrestled her away.

"No! Mom!"

"What are you doing?!" Mary demanded. "She's a demon. We kill demons."

"No, but she's Jody," Sam argued.

"Boring!" Jael exclaimed.

She clapped her hands and everyone fell to the ground, immobilized, and she kicked the angel blade away.

"Oh, I have heard so many stories about you Winchesters," she gushed. "And I desperately want the Lucifer thing to be true." She climbed carefully around the devil's trap to stand over Sam. "The idea that he left a meatsuit alive is just so deliciously weak." Jael stood up and looked around at the rest of the people on the floor. "As for the rest of you, I have been inside your heads. I know all about you. For example, the twins. Too frightened to tell anyone that they actually came to say goodbye to their daddy."

Lorraine looked up from the floor in shock, realizing that the twins were actually her grandchildren.

"Or the grieving mother who hated the fact that her son was a hunter so much she'd hide his gear," Jael continued. "She'd sabotage his Jeep, anything to keep him from hunting. Not that it worked. Could've tried harder. And this meatsuit you all seem to care so much about," she gestured to her face. "She actually fantasized about a life with Asa! Can you believe that? Like that worthless man—

Bucky got off the ground and snuck up behind Jael. "Shut your filthy mouth."

Jael grabbed Bucky by the neck and forced him to his knees. "And you. Bucky. Brave, brave Bucky. I was there that night. Tell these nice, stupid people what you did. Tell them what you took from me. Asa was mine."

Angela managed to get to her feet and started chanting the exorcism.

"No!" Jael threw Angela back across the room.

Dean picked up the exorcism where Angela left off, but Jael threw him through a glass door.

"Tell them!" Jael yelled at Bucky.

Max, Alicia, and Sam continued the exorcism and were pinned to the wall.

"Aah!" Bucky screamed. "I killed him! I killed him. I killed Asa."

Jael threw Bucky to the floor, but Mary and Robert completed the exorcism, sending Jael to Hell.

Angela ran over and picked up her daughter, making sure she was okay.

"Mommy," Grace sniffled, wrapping her arms around Angela's neck.

"Jody. Jody, are you okay?" Sam asked worriedly.

"That… sucked." Jody groaned.

"Bucky, what did you do?" Lorraine glared icily.

~/~\~

"Asa," Bucky's voice wavered. "He was just all—he was just always so stubborn. Look, we were in the woods. Jael, he… he was taunting him. Asa wanted to chase him, but didn't have the angel blade. I said, 'Let's go back.' He called me a coward and he shoved me, so I shoved him back and he fell. He hit his head." He explained. "I didn't mean to do it. But it was a mistake. An accident. I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do. Asa hated that damn demon so much that I just…"

"Oh, you thought people would buy that Jael killed him?" Angela scoffed in disgust. "So, you hung your best friend to cover your own ass."

"What are you gonna do to me?" Bucky swallowed nervously.

"Tell everyone, every hunter we meet," Alicia replied. "They're gonna know your name, Bucky. Know what you did."

"You like stories," Max added. "This is the story everyone's gonna tell about you. Forever."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace came over to Mary and Robert's side.

"Mom," Dean greeted.

"Dad," Angela smiled softly.

"You guys okay?" Sam asked gently.

Billie appeared through the smoke on the other side of the pyre. "They're really not."

Sam frowned. "Billie."

"Who's…" Mary trailed off.

"She's a reaper. She's the one that got me back inside." Dean explained.

"And now you owe me one." Billie turned her gaze to Mary and Robert. "These two. These two right here."

"What?" Mary and Robert demanded.

"See, I'm a big believer in what dies, stays dead. Laws of the universe and all that, so…"

"We didn't ask to come back here," Robert argued.

"No, you didn't." Billie agreed. "And you hate it. The look in your eyes, I've seen it before. It's a dead man's look—eyes that say no matter where you go or what you do, it feels like this world doesn't fit anymore. Like you're alone."

"Well, they're not alone." Dean glared.

"Tell me I'm wrong. I'm not here to hurt either of you." Billie told the older hunters. "I'm here to offer you mercy. A one-way ticket upstairs, away from all of this."

"How would it work?" Mary asked quietly.

"Mom." Sam shook his head.

"You just kill us again?" Robert demanded.

"Reapers don't kill people. Rules."

"Well… then…" Robert looked at Mary, and then they both looked at their children. "Then I guess you're gonna have to wait."

"Hunters." Billie sneered. "If you change your mind—if any of you change your minds—you know my name," she added before disappearing.

"Does this mean you two are coming home?" Angela asked hopefully.

"Yeah." Mary nodded. "Not quite yet."

"We just need a little more time, Pumpkin," Robert added.

"Can we buy you guys breakfast at least?" Dean offered.

"Bacon?" Mary smiled.

"All the bacon," Dean promised.

"We would love that." Robert nodded.


	13. Rock Never Dies Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Dean sat in the library on his phone. He was currently playing Words with Friends with Mary.

"Twerking. Booyah." Dean muttered as he spelled the word out.

His phone beeped as he received a text from Mary that said, _'That CAN'T be a word.'_ Dean just smiled as he texted back, _'Check the dictionary,'_ and he signed it with a devil emoji.

Sam walked in holding his laptop and Angela walked beside her husband, holding Grace's hand. Sam looked at Dean, clearly annoyed that his brother has been goofing off while he and Angela had been looking for Lucifer, as well as keeping an eye out for cases.

"Seriously?" Sam scoffed.

"What?" Dean looked up at his brother.

"So, Angie and I have been trying to dig up info on the British Men of Letters," Sam started, clearly annoyed. "Keeping an eye out for cases, and you've been goofing off with a game that went out of style five years ago?"

"I don't think Mom's quite ready for Snapchat." Dean retorted.

Sam's brows furrowed and he set his laptop down on the table. "You're playing against Mom?"

"Yeah." Dean chuckled.

"The same Mom that didn't know what a cell phone was a month ago?" Sam quirked a brow.

"Yeah."

"Doesn't exactly seem like a fair fight." Angela scoffed.

Dean looked up at Sam and Angela with a dismayed look on his face. He showed them his phone and the banner on the screen that said Mary had won.

"You were saying?" Dean scoffed.

"Huh!" Sam chuckled. "So, how she been lately?"

"She's good. You know, she—she's dealing." Dean replied as his phone started ringing. "Hey, Cas," he put the phone on speaker.

 _"Hello, Dean."_ Castiel's voice rang through.

"You still living out an '80s buddy comedy with Crowley?" Dean asked.

_"Unfortunately."_

"Any news on Lucifer?" Angela asked curiously as Sam's phone started chiming repeatedly.

 _"Actually, yes,"_ Castiel answered. _"Look at the news."_

"One sec," Sam cleared his throat and started tapping the keys. "No way. So, this is from today," he pressed 'play' on the video.

 _"We're here in front of Death Siren Records…"_ the reporter started.

"Oh, no friggin' way." Dean groaned.

 _"…with Vince Vincente,"_ the reporter continued.

 _"Yes, it's, uh, it's great having the band back together,"_ Vince replied. _"In the studio, feeling pumped. Haven't felt this fired up in ages."_

 _"A lot of people are saying that your style of rock could never make a comeback in today's landscape. What do you say to them?"_ the reporter questioned.

 _"Go to Hell."_ Vince sneered.

"Tell me that's not Lucifer." Angela pleaded.

 _"We don't know."_ Castiel sighed heavily.

"Cas, I-I thought you said Rowena got some licks in," Sam recalled. "Shouldn't he have burned through his vessel by now?"

_"Yeah, but we don't know. We don't—_

_"Hello, boys, Angie,"_ Crowley's voice rang through. _"Long time. We team up to save the world, then bupkis. You don't call, you don't write."_

"Yeah, we don't care." Dean retorted.

"Crowley—Lucifer," Sam stressed.

 _"Lucifer. Think about it. Of all the extinct rock acts, Ladyheart are the most Paleolithic. A major-label sponsored comeback in 2016 for those dinosaurs?"_ Crowley mused. _"It doesn't feel like a wholly natural turn of events, does it?"_

 _"Maybe Lucifer found a way to heal his vessel,"_ Castiel suggested.

"Yeah, but still… I mean, what the hell?" Dean muttered.

 _"He's in L.A. I'll see you there,"_ Crowley replied before the line went dead.

"Oh, L.A." Dean sighed, running a hand over his face.

"Yeah." Sam and Angela muttered.

~/~\~

The Impala sped down the dark, rainy road. Angela was sleeping, her head resting on Sam's shoulder and Grace was in the car seat, sleeping as well. Meanwhile, Sam had his earbuds in as Dean talked.

"All right. 450 miles to L.A." he muttered. "Land of gridlock, Botox, overtaxing, underachieving, the smell of sweaty desperation. I mean, you can't breathe. The beaches are toxic. You got dudes in skinny jeans wearing sunglasses inside. Oh. Image-obsessed narcissists. I do like the yoga pants, though," he smirked. "When was the last time we were in L.A.? About 10 years ago, doing a vengeful spirit? Man, that seems like forever ago. Doesn't it?" he frowned at Sam's lack of response and smacked his arm. "Hey. Tryin' to talk to you here."

"What?" Sam pulled out one of his earbuds.

"You… what are you listenin' to?"

"Uh, podcast." Sam shrugged. "Why?"

"All right, well… I need something to keep me awake, so crank it up." Dean replied.

"I mean, it's a history podcast." Sam cleared his throat. "Besides, Angie's asleep."

"Well, I like history, you know? Gladiators, pirates. Hell, we're driving a piece of history right here." Dean smiled.

"N-not that kind of history. This is a, uh…" Sam cleared his throat again. "It's a podcast on the history of the Protestant Reformation. A multipart exploration of each of Martin Luther's 95 theses."

"Oh." Dean deadpanned.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Sam muttered as he put his earbud back in.

Dean paused for a moment and pulled earbuds out of the headphone jack and _'The Bloody Messiah'_ started blaring through the speakers, effectively waking up Angela.

"What…" she mumbled sleepily.

"Oh, Sam," Dean groaned in disappointment.

"Dude!" Sam exclaimed.

"Hair rock? Really?" Dean scoffed.

"I just wanted to sleep," Angela grumbled.

"It's not hair—

"Come on." Dean rolled his eyes.

"It's not hair rock, Dean," Sam stressed. "It's hard rock. It's legitimate hard rock."

Dean chuckled lightly. "Wow."

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

"Yeah, or a dude by his, uh, rainbow wig and leopard prints." Dean retorted.

"Rainbow wig? What?" Sam's brows creased together. "You know what? I'm done apologizing. Lucifer possessed Vince Vincente. This is Vince Vincente's music, so listening to it is research."

"No. No." Dean shook his head.

"As a matter of fact…" Sam raised the volume. "Study up, Dean."

"No, no. No! I don't wanna listen to it."

"You like it," Sam smirked.

"No," Dean shook his head. "No. No, no. No. Turn it off."

"It'll grow on ya." Sam wrapped an arm around Angela's shoulder. "Sorry for waking you, baby."

~/~\~

_Los Angeles, California_

Inside the Bellaqua hotel lobby, Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace were waiting for Crowley and Castiel. Grace sat in Angela's lap. Sam got a cup of water from the dispenser and Dean gave him a look.

"What?" Sam asked. "It's good."

"It's vegetable water." Dean practically sneered.

"Sam, Dean, Angela." Castiel walked over to the hunters.

Grace jumped off of her mother's lap and ran to hug Castiel. "Hi Unca Cas!"

"Hello, Grace." Castiel smiled gently.

"Hey," Dean replied as he, Sam, and Angela stood up. "You consider switching up your duds there? Bit stiff for this town."

"He could be an agent or something," Angela suggested.

"Yeah, maybe a third-tier agent," Dean muttered.

Castiel narrowed his eyes. "At least I don't look like a lumberjack."

"Okay, enough. Guys." Sam cut in. "Where's Crowley?"

"He said he'd meet us here," Castiel replied. "Frankly, I appreciate the break. It's been weeks, and he's been right there, just talking and talking and talking. It's relentless."

"Don't listen to him," Crowley started as he approached. "Feathers and I are all but inseparable now."

"Did you find anything?" Angela raised her brows.

"Yes," Crowley nodded. "Vince Vincente is riding with the Devil."

"Okay, so what now?" Castiel inquired.

Crowley held up the keycard to Vince's room. "I suggest we go check out his room. Vince is scheduled to be in the studio all day, so we're covered."

"How'd you get the card?" Dean demanded.

"This is L.A.," Crowley smirked. "I know a lot of people."

~/~\~

Using the card from the receptionist, they entered Vince's messy hotel room.

"Don't touch anything, okay sweetie?" Angela instructed Grace.

"'Kay, Mommy."

"Well, looks like there was some kind of fight," Castiel noted.

"Mm," Dean hummed as he noticed the discarded clothes. "Yeah. Some kind."

"Look at this," Sam pointed. "Rock star biographies. Like, all of them, from Aerosmith to ZZ Top. It's like he's studying how to become famous."

Dean sat down on the white couch and started plucking at the guitar. "Well, so what, Lucifer's a dork?"

"That's good to know." Angela shrugged.

"Look at this," Castiel picked up a folder. "The seeds of a ripe dragon fruit drizzled with exactly one ounce of Acacia honey, prepared in a ceramic bowl—no plastic. What is this spell?"

"It's breakfast," Crowley replied. "It's Vince's rider. I've seen worse."

"I don't get it." Sam shook his head. "Lucifer could be taking over Heaven and Hell right now, and instead, he's trying to act out some rock god fantasy?"

"Yeah. Who wouldn't?" Dean strummed the guitar harshly.

"I found something," Castiel walked out of the bathroom.

"What is that?" Angela's brows furrowed.

"It appears to be a human tooth, pulled out by the root," Castiel explained.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, Crowley, and Castiel were in the hospital talking to the doctor. Angela held Grace on her hip.

"Mrs. Greenfield has lost a lot of blood and there'll be no fixing those scars, but she's stable." The doctor explained.

"And she cut herself?" Castiel asked.

"She carved his name into her chest. 'Vince Vincente.' Didn't skip a letter. And she cut deep."

"Thanks, doctor." Dean nodded. "Well, again, what the hell?"

"I'll go talk to her," Crowley suggested.

"No." Angela replied firmly. "No, no, no, you won't."

"Cas, stay here," Dean told the angel. "Keep an eye on him."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were inside Rosaleen's hospital room and Grace sat on a nearby chair, playing with her doll.

"We wanna understand what happened," Dean started.

"But, in order for us to do that, we need you to talk," Angela added gently.

"Rosaleen, did Vince force you to do this?" Sam asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Vince didn't. He wouldn't have to. I wanted to, to show him, to make him happy."

"You ever stop and wonder what kind of sicko gets happy off of watching somebody melon ball their own flesh?" Dean questioned.

"Don't talk about Vince like that," Rosaleen replied firmly. "He had a reason, a good reason. He must have. I'm sure he can explain everything. If I could just see him—Ah!" she tried to stand, forgetting that she was wounded. "I need to get to the show. Please. Please!"

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were talking to Crowley and Castiel in the hospital lobby. Grace held Sam's hand and used her free hand to carry her doll.

"So, the show is tonight?" Castiel asked.

"That's what she said." Angela nodded.

Castiel's brows furrowed. "Can Lucifer even sing or play an instrument?"

"I doubt they offer intro to guitar in the cage," Dean muttered.

"Like it matters. What Lucifer made that woman do has got nothing to do with music." Crowley replied. "It's about devotion."

"Come again?" Dean raised his brows.

"You little people wouldn't understand, but I've been a king. Having people look at you like you're everything, knowing that once they buy in, you can make them do anything, it's intoxicating." Crowley explained.

"Well, that's super creepy," Dean noted.

"Okay, so this concert, all these people," Castiel interjected. "What is—what is Lucifer planning to do?"

"Nothing good." Sam huffed.

"Is Rowena—

"Dear Mother says that once we catch Lucifer, she'll show, no sooner." Crowley interrupted.

"Well, without Rowena, we're outgunned," Dean argued.

"With her, we're outgunned." Crowley scoffed.

"It doesn't matter, guys. This is our shot." Sam reminded. "We just gotta find out where he's playing tonight."

"All right," Dean nodded. "Let's get to work."

~/~\~

In the pathway outside of Death Siren Studio, Angela and Castiel were talking to Tommy and Angela carried Grace on her hip.

"Tommy," Castiel greeted.

"Guys, I'll meet you inside," Tommy told the other band members. "Agent. What are you doing here, man? Who's this?" he nodded to Angela.

"His partner," Angela answered curtly.

"We're investigating Vince, same as before," Castiel told Tommy. "You hear what happened to Rosaleen?"

"Yeah, that was, uh, it was awful." Tommy shrugged. "But, I mean, come on, man, she cut herself, right? It wasn't like…"

"You know that's not the whole truth. You know Vince isn't Vince." Angela replied.

~/~\~

Sam and Dean sat inside the restaurant, decked out in leather jackets and 'rocker' outfits, were talking to Vince's manager.

"We're brothers that rock together," Dean explained. "Hmm? We're kind of like the American Oasis."

"Ew." The woman muttered as she looked at her phone.

"Uh, uh, but with synths," Sam added quickly.

"Yeah, right, so, you know, we're—we're hip."

"Exactly." Sam smiled.

"Who plays what?" she sighed in annoyance.

"I'm on keys," Sam answered. "He's on drums."

"Guitar. Drums and guitar. I pretty much do it all." Dean smiled cockily.

"We saw only that you represent Vince Vincente. We were kind of hoping you could do for us what you've done for him." Sam shrugged.

"Sorry," she sighed. "I took this meeting 'cause you looked hot in your pics, but I am not feeling this."

"Okay, you know what?" Dean stopped her. "We're not actually here for a meeting."

"Vince's show tonight—where is it?" Sam questioned.

The woman narrowed her eyes skeptically. "Who are you guys?"

"Look, you must've noticed, Vince is different," Sam stressed.

~/~\~

"Where's the show, Tommy?" Castiel questioned.

"Man, I don't know what the hell's going on with Vince, all right? All the royalties on our hits dried up years ago." Tommy explained. "I got two daughters in college. I know what I told you and I know what I saw, but…"

"And you don't care who pays the price?" Angela quirked a brow.

"Sorry." Tommy shrugged.

~/~\~

"Vince gives me the skeeves, but he's a paying client."

"No, he's the Devil." Dean corrected.

"Yeah, like, literally," Sam added.

The woman chuckled. "I'm in P.R. I've worked for sexists, racists, even politicians. My job is making saints out of devils. No way I'm threatening my reputation by working against his interests. So, you need to take a step back or I start screaming." She warned. "And in a crowded place like this? Girl like me, two guys like you… Guess what happens next? Buh-bye."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Crowley sat in the lobby of the hotel.

"And you said you put the fear in Russel," Dean commented.

"I thought I had." Crowley shrugged. "These yoga types. Just when you think you've harshed their mellow…"

"Yeah, well, I've been looking everywhere online, and, uh…" Sam scoffed. "No one's leaked the venue yet." He added as Dean got himself a cup of water. "Seriously?"

"What?" Dean shrugged.

"Dude."

"Shut up." Dean rolled his eyes.

Angela, Castiel, and Grace walked over, and Grace ran toward Sam.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, Peanut," Sam pulled his daughter onto his lap. "You guys find anything?" he looked up at Angela and Castiel.

"No." Angela sighed heavily.

"So, we couldn't flip a single member of Vince's team." Dean shook his head. "Even with the threat of mass murder, these SoCal douchebags won't do the right thing."

"Welcome to Los Angeles," Crowley muttered.

"So, what happens now?" Castiel asked.


	14. Rock Never Dies Part 2

Castiel's phone vibrated and he saw a text from Tommy. "Guys."

Crowley and the Winchesters looked over at Castiel, curious.

~/~\~

They all stood outside of Club Meteor and Castiel was on the phone.

"Ugh," the angel complained. "Tommy's still not answering."

"Well, he got us here. That's what matters." Dean replied as he grabbed the Enochian handcuffs and closed the trunk.

"Enochian handcuffs. That's your move?" Crowley raised his brows in disbelief.

"They held me," Castiel muttered.

"You're not him." Crowley retorted.

"We have no sure bets here, okay?" Dean huffed. "Anything that we use is gonna be like popping BBs."

"Oh, great pep talk. Go, team." Crowley remarked sarcastically.

"Guys, we're here to do more than just take a shot at Lucifer," Angela informed.

"We are?" Crowley frowned.

"Yes," Sam nodded. "We need to save the people inside, too."

"I'll take Lucifer," Castiel replied. "He's my responsibility."

"No, he's not. He's all of our responsibility." Sam corrected.

"Well, the only way you'll clear that crowd without drawing fire is if he's otherwise engaged," Castiel argued.

"Engaged in what, Cas? Killing you?" Dean frowned deeply.

"Cas, you'll last… three minutes top," Angela added.

"Then I'll buy you three minutes," Castiel replied.

"Make it four." Crowley piped up, earning shocked looks from the Winchesters. "What? I help."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela made their way into the club and Angela held Grace tightly.

"Sorry," Sam apologized as he shoved through people.

Sam noticed the emergency fire switch and gestured his plan to Dean and Angela.

"Hey, you guys—you guys smell smoke?" Dean yelled out.

"One, two, three!" the fans yelled, ignoring Dean. "Vince! Vince!"

~/~\~

"No, seriously, I—I—I think I smell smoke, everyone." Dean stammered.

"Sure you're not having a stroke?" one of the younger fans laughed.

"Hey, I'm serious," Dean replied. "We need to get out of here."

"Step off, dad."

"Hey, listen to me," Dean grabbed him. "We've got to go, okay?"

"What's your problem, man?! Get off me!"

"We gotta…" Dean trailed off as a security guard grabbed him. "All right, yeah."

"Get this guy off me!"

"No, listen to me, okay?" Dean stressed. "Listen, we gotta get out of here."

"What's your problem old man?"

"Okay. All right, yeah." Dean huffed. "Okay. Look, we gotta get everybody out of here."

Meanwhile, Sam pulled the emergency fire switch and the alarm started ringing.

"Fire!" one of the men yelled.

~/~\~

Suddenly, the fire alarm stopped and _'The Bloody Messiah'_ started playing again.

"No," Sam frowned as the crowd came back in. "No, no, no, no."

"Oh, no." Angela groaned.

~/~\~

Lucifer walked onto the stage and grinned sinisterly. "Hello, L.A.!"

The crowd started to cheer wildly, while Sam, Dean, and Angela just looked fearful.

~/~\~

"What a crowd!" Lucifer yelled out.

"I love you, Vince!" a woman in the crowd yelled.

"Look at all those fresh, new faces." Lucifer smiled. "Everyone excited?"

In response, the fans started clapping and cheering even louder.

"Yeah, you should be! Tonight's not gonna be a typical show. Tonight, you're gonna see and feel things you never saw or felt."

"Yeah!" the crowd yelled.

"Things might get a little messy," Lucifer smirked.

"Ah, screw it," Dean grumbled as he took out his gun and fired it at the ceiling. "He's got a gun!"

The fans started screaming and ran toward the exit.

"We gotta go!" Sam yelled. "We gotta go! Go, go! Come on, guys!"

As Sam tried to get everyone out of the club, Lucifer tried to stop the crowd by forcing the door shut.

"No, no. No, no, no." Sam grunted as he tried to keep the door open. "Go! Go!"

Just as the last person escaped, Lucifer slammed the door shut, trapping the three hunters with him.

"Nuh-uh-uh," Lucifer growled.

Suddenly, Castiel appeared on the stage and attacked Lucifer by smashing his face with a guitar.

"Hey, assbutt!"

However, Castiel was easily deflected. Dean took the stage and placed the Enochian handcuffs on Lucifer.

"Hi, Dean." Lucifer grinned.

Lucifer simply threw Dean off the stage and shrugged the cuffs off. Sam and Angela rushed toward Dean.

"Sam. Angela. Enjoy the show?" Lucifer smirked. "Mm, guys, you know I could end you all with a snap of my finger? Why would I do that when you can't do anything…" he trailed off as he stopped Castiel from stabbing him. "…to me?"

"Why are you doing this?" Angela demanded as she held Grace protectively.

Lucifer chuckled. "Why?"

"You and God made up. You _forgave_ him." Sam reminded. "What would he think?"

"I'm not especially interested in his opinion. Dear old Dad, he finally apologized for abandoning me. And what the very next thing he does? He ditches me!" Lucifer laughed. "And you, too, by the way. And rides off into the sunset with Auntie Amara. He needed my help, and he'd say anything to get it. His words, your words, they mean nothing. Don't you get it? This is all meaningless! Hell, this world." He sneered. "If it ever meant anything, that moment is past. Nothing down here but a bunch of hopeless distraction addicts, so filled with emptiness, so desperate to fill up the void… they don't mind being served another stale rerun of a rerun. You know what my plan is? I don't have one. I'm just gonna keep on smashing Daddy's already broken toys and make you watch."

"Yeah?" Sam asked as Lucifer's vessel started to dissolve. "'Cause it kinda looks like you're falling apart."

"Yeah, you got a little something, uh, right here." Dean gestured to his face. "I mean, face it, rock is dead."

"What can I say?" Lucifer smirked. "Kicking your ass took a lot out of me. But don't worry. Onward and upward."

Lucifer escaped Vince's body, which dropped to the ground and continued to deteriorate.

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, Castiel, and Crowley were standing outside the car while waiting for Dean to close the trunk. Grace was in her car seat, sleeping. Crowley had been beaten badly by Lucifer, and his right eye was swollen.

"How you feelin'?" Dean asked.

"I'm not dead," Castiel replied.

"Well, I gotta hand it to you. You said you were gonna draw Lucifer's fire and you drew some serious fire."

"Oh, it was a grand success." Crowley scoffed.

"Well, we didn't catch Lucifer, but we did save the crowd," Dean shrugged. "So, I'm gonna call that a win."

"I wouldn't," Sam muttered. "Vince Vincente is dead."

"We never even hoped to save him," Dean argued. "And, yes, I know, the third album—

"No, he was still a person," Sam interrupted. "And he meant something to a lot of people. And Lucifer just took all that and just twisted all that up and snuffed it out. Lucifer was bad enough when he had a plan, a motive. Now he's just having fun. I mean, how many people died tonight? Them, this, it's all on us. We let him out. We're not winning. We're just losing slow. And you heard what he said."

"Onwards and upwards. He's gone big." Crowley muttered.

"And he'll go bigger," Castiel added.

"And we will stop him, baby," Angela promised her husband. "We will. It's what we do, Sam."


	15. LOTUS Part 1

_St. Louis, Missouri_

Sam, Dean, and Angela were in their FBI apparel and Grace held Sam's hand as they walked down the hall of the morgue. They flashed their badges to a doctor who walked out of the nearby exam rooms.

"Your colleagues are already inside," the doctor told them.

The three hunters exchanged confused looks and put away their badges. Sam picked up Grace and they walked into the room, only to see Castiel and Crowley. They were standing next to the autopsy table, where a body lied covered by a sheet.

"Agents." Castiel and Crowley greeted.

"Okay, this has gotta stop," Dean grumbled in annoyance. "All right, give me that," he pulled an FBI badge off of Crowley's jacket lapel.

"Armani!" Crowley exclaimed.

"Okay, enough. Let's have a look." Sam nodded to the body. "Gracie, close your eyes."

"Okay, Daddy," Grace replied, shutting her eyes.

Angela pulled down the sheet to reveal the face of the man's body, whose eyes were burnt out.

"Ooh. Looks like somebody forgot to put on his sunscreen." Dean muttered.

"This was Wallace Parker, the very powerful CEO of almost everything," Castiel explained.

"And apparently, Lucifer's latest vessel. Wasn't strong enough to hold him." Angela sighed as she pulled the sheet to cover the man's face again.

"You can open your eyes now, Peanut," Sam told Grace.

"Lucifer's not content with slutting it from one random vessel to the next," Crowley started. "He's moving on to blue chips—celebrities, captains of industries. He just got a lot more dangerous."

"I agree with Agent Zappa." Castiel nodded.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, will you stop?"

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam, Dean, and Angela sat in the library in the bunker drinking beer while Grace was napping in her room.

"So, find anything?" Dean asked. "Anyone powerful or respectable who suddenly changed… or exploded?"

"Well, this is pretty interesting. This is the Archbishop of St. Louis with Wallace Parker." Sam replied.

"So?"

"So, this was him three days ago." Angela scrolled through a few pictures. "And this… is him last night at the opening of a food kitchen. Notice anything missing?"

Dean scrolled back and forth through the pictures. "Yeah, the big mother of a cross around his neck."

"Exactly," Angela nodded. "And this morning, his office canceled all further public appearances without comment."

"Okay, so you're thinking that, uh, Lucifer blasted out of Parker and into his buddy the Archbishop here," Dean theorized.

"Worth a shot." Sam shrugged.

"Yeah." Dean agreed.

~/~\~

_St. Louis, Missouri_

The Impala pulled up to a building with a sign that read, _'Archdiocese of St. Louis.'_ Sam and Dean got out while Angela stayed in the car with Grace.

"It's awfully quiet," Dean commented as he and Sam walked up to the door.

"Yeah, Angie put in a dozen calls to the Chief of Staff," Sam replied. "No one returned."

"Well, we'll have a look around. If it is Lucifer, we'll call the rest of the Scooby gang."

"Hey," Sam nodded to the doorbell. He pressed it and rolled his eyes when there was no sound. "Great."

Dean turned and used the door knocker on the door. No one answered, so they picked the lock and entered. They pulled out their flashlights out. Dean tried the light switch, but nothing happened. They walked into a nearby room and noticed signs of a struggle. Further in, they saw the priest from earlier, bloodied and injured, on the floor.

"Father, hey," Dean knelt beside him. "What happened?"

"We… knew something was wrong," the priest breathed out. "He… he…"

"The Archbishop?" Dean asked.

"Uh-huh." The priest nodded. "Senior staff decided… handle internally and intervene."

"An exorcism." Dean realized.

~/~\~

Sam and Dean walked further through the house. They came across a nun with her throat slit, a priest impaled on a wall, and an inverted cross. They entered another room and found the Archbishop, lying on the floor with his eyes burnt out.

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam, Angela, and Castiel were in the library. Castiel was looking at pictures of the carnage from the Archbishop's house on a cell phone.

"Ugh," Castiel muttered. "These pictures… The level of violence, it's completely unnecessary."

"Lucifer doesn't like to get messed with," Sam replied. "I guess when the Archbishop's priests figured out he was possessed, they tried to keep it quiet, do an exorcism."

"I mean, not that it would've worked," Angela added. "Lucifer blew town, but not before he slaughtered the entire staff. So, we were on the right trail. Where's it go now?"

Dean walked into the room with bags of food and held Grace's hand. "I don't know. Who won the Nobel Peace Prize? Why don't we start there?"

~/~\~

Castiel was reading a newspaper in the library while Sam and Angela were looking at the laptop. Grace sat on Castiel's lap.

"Did the bunker's warding just fail?" Castiel asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Dean walked into the library and sat down. "I just powered it down. Crowley called, said he had some big news about Lucifer, whatever the hell that means."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait a second." Sam frowned. "So—so now Crowley can just… what, drop in whenever he feels like it? I-I prefer keeping Crowley at a distance. Long-distance."

"Not very charitable, Moose…" Crowley said suddenly, causing Sam to shake his head in frustration. "…particularly since, once again, I'm saving your asses. So, as you know, I'm temporarily persona non grata in my own palace."

"Palace?" Sam, Dean, and Angela scoffed.

"However, there are those I still control. Operatives." Crowley continued.

"Crowley, can we just get the damn news _without_ the drama?" Sam huffed.

"Can I get you without the flannel?" Crowley retorted. "No. Still, I endure."

"What?" Sam's brows furrowed.

"Did a little digging, acting on a tip." Crowley typed something into Sam's laptop. "And I think I know the identity of Lucifer's new vessel."

"Oh, for God's sake," Dean muttered.

"Huh? Aha!" Crowley turned the laptop around. "Gentlemen, and lady… I give you one Jefferson Rooney, President of these United States."


	16. LOTUS Part 2

_Lebanon, Kansas_

In the bunker, Castiel, Angela, Dean, and Grace were in the library. Sam was off to the side, looking nervous as he dialed Mick's number.

 _"Hello,"_ Mick's voice rang through. _"Mick Davies here. Leave a mess—_

Sam immediately hung up and swallowed nervously.

~/~\~

"Even if Crowley does bring in Rowena, the problem remains. Lucifer can't be returned to the cage inside his vessel." Castiel explained as Sam walked in and sat next to Angela. "His essence has to be extracted."

"Yeah. And Lucifer has found the perfect safe house." Angela sighed heavily. "I mean, how do we even _start_ getting close to the President?"

"Well, it helps that he's not in D.C," Dean replied. "Well, he's, uh, actually on a fundraising swing through the Midwest."

"Yeah, right now, it looks like his whole party—aides, Secret Service, the whole circus—is staying at an estate owned by Ron Forester, the, uh, hedge fund zillionaire," Sam muttered as he scrolled through the website. "It's right outside Indianapolis. But, it is completely surrounded by walls, security, Secret Service, military… Plan B?"

"He's got a hell of a speaking schedule," Dean replied. "He's averaging three events a day, and he's got a gala dinner on Friday night."

"Well, at least he'll be outside of the mansion," Castiel noted.

"Yeah, guarded like the Hope Diamond," Sam replied. "Plan C?"

~/~\~

Castiel was walking across the war room with two cups of coffee. His hands started shaking uncontrollably and his vision went blurry. It got so bad that he dropped the cups, causing them to shatter, and grabbed his head with one hand.

"Aah!"

Dean, Sam, and Angela rushed over in concern.

"Cas?" Dean frowned. "Cas? Hey."

"Something's happened," Castiel grunted. "Something… Angel radio… There are so many voices."

"What are they saying?" Angela's brows furrowed.

"There's been a massive surge in celestial energy," Castiel answered. "A Nephilim has come into being. It's the offspring of an angel and a human."

"And that's big news?" Dean raised his brows.

"Yes, but the power to produce this is immense. It's much, much greater than a typical angel."

"Lucifer." Sam's face fell visibly.

"W—Lucifer?" Dean's eyes widened. "I didn't know he was dating."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were in the front seat of the Impala while Castiel and Grace were in the back. They sped passed a sign that said, _'Indianapolis 50.'_

Sam held his phone up to his ear. "Yeah, and hey, Crowley? Uh, find out from your government mole if there's a girlfriend or a mistress or a favorite hooker. Someone we don't know about. Got it. All right." He said before hanging up. "Crowley and Rowena will meet us in Indianapolis. Do we have a plan?"

"Impeach LOTUS and find Rosemary's Baby." Dean shrugged.

The Impala turned at the intersection and a black SUV started coming up behind them. Dean groaned as the sirens started blaring and pulled over.

"Aw, crap." He muttered before turning to Castiel "All right. Stay here. We got this."

"You mind staying here, too, baby?" Sam asked Angela.

"Yeah, I'll stay here." Angela smiled softly.

"Thank you, Angie," Sam replied before he and Dean exited the car. "Gentleman, is there a problem?"

Dean flashed his FBI badge. "Federal Agents, guys. We need to keep going."

"And I need six-grand by Saturday, but that ain't happening either." Rick sassed.

"You guys know who you're talking to?" Sam demanded.

"Winchesters," Rick replied, shocking the boys. "You make those toy badges in craft class on the psyche ward? Nice car, by the way. Really stands out."

Rick pulled a gun out of his waistband and Dean grabbed his arm and punched him in the face.

"Hey. Wait a second now," Sam held up his hands as two men approached him.

Sam grabbed one of the men and slammed him into the Impala before he turned and punched the other one. The three continued to fight as Dean and Rick struggled over the gun.

"Let him go. Now." Dean warned the men.

Rick managed to get the gun from Dean and stepped away, pointing it at him. Sam had one man in a headlock. When Rick aimed at Dean, Sam let the man go. The brothers raised their hands while Castiel and Angela got out of the car.

"Stop! Don't move!" Rick yelled.

Dean held an arm out to Castiel. "Cas, don't."

As they all stood there, they turned to watch as a black limousine approached. Jazz-type music played from the car and a man stepped out and shot a grenade at the SUV. Everyone ducked for cover except Castiel, who just stood there looking quizzically as the SUV burst into flames. The man walked toward the aides who were lying on the ground.

"You. Angel. Wipe their memories." The man instructed with a smooth British accent.

Rick started to get up and the man kicked him in the face before he approached Sam, Dean, Angela, and Castiel.

"U.S. government plates. Elite dogcatcher level." The man noted. "Someone special wants you. Whose hydrant have you been tinkling on?"

"I'm sorry," Dean scoffed. "Who the hell are you?"

"Oh. Where are my manners?" the man smirked. "Arthur Ketch. British Men of Letters."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, Castiel, and Arthur were standing around their cars in the forest that night. Angela held Grace, who was sleeping.

"So, it's all very simple, really," Arthur started. "Mick Davies asked you to join our effort, which we're taking international. My instructions are to strongly encourage a 'yes.'"

"So, what?" Castiel narrowed his eyes. "You've just been following us?"

"Not at all," Arthur assured. "We're good dogs. We only come when called. And he," he nodded toward Sam. "Called."

"You what?" Angela looked at her husband in disbelief.

"I-I didn't, uh… I hung up." Sam stammered.

"Yes, you did," Arthur nodded. "Which made Mr. Davies think that you were in trouble, which you were. So, he rings me. Bing, bang, boom. Meet Bob. He's your uncle. Oh, and, um, you're welcome. Hmm?"

"And why should we believe anything you have to say?" Dean snapped.

"You, Halo." Arthur nodded to Castiel. "Do you sense I'm lying?"

"My name is Castiel," he replied. "And… no. But the truth can be situational."

"Oh," Arthur chuckled. "Oh, I do enjoy an angel. But I understand your hesitation. You haven't exactly seen us at our best. Lady Bevell is a bit… excitable."

"She tried to kill us." Dean glared.

"Like I said, excitable."

"And you're better?" Sam questioned.

"I don't care about you one way or the other." Arthur shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm not an ideologue."

"And all you wanna do is help these American Hunters to clear this country of monsters?" Castiel asked skeptically.

"We understand things are different here. We're eager to collaborate." Arthur assured. "The British Men of Letters are centuries old. We can offer expertise, weaponry, skills."

"Like we saw out on the road?" Angela quirked a brow.

"I'm an artist, Mrs. Winchester." Arthur held up his key remote and popped open the trunk of the car. "I pain in many colors."

"Was that a grenade launcher?" Dean asked curiously.

"Quite." Arthur nodded.

"Ah."

"Our engineers have spent years blending sorcery and technology. For instance, we don't always decapitate vampires. Inefficient, really, especially for large nests." Arthur pulled a weapon out of the trunk. "We irradiate them, reorder their DNA. Their own blood becomes lethal to them."

"Cool." Sam smiled lightly.

"Mm. The toys are the fun part, hmm?" Arthur smirked and he took a large golden egg with ancient symbols etched into it out of the trunk. "Hyperbolic Pulse Generator. Exorcisms are unreliable. This device emits a force which drives the possessing demon from the vessel."

"What about a, uh, possessing angel?" Sam asked curiously.

"And what might you be working on?" Arthur inquired.

"Well, you want us to trust you, you're gonna have to trust us first," Dean replied.

"And that means?" Arthur quirked a brow.

~/~\~

_Indianapolis, Indiana_

In the motel room, Crowley watched as Dean took the hyperbolic pulse generator out of a cloth bag.

"So, you're gonna pop Lucifer out of the President with that?" Crowley scoffed lightly.

"I hope so," Dean replied. "Otherwise, we're all dead. Then, Rowena zaps him back to the cage. Of course, we gotta get him here, first."

"Yeah. We need to get ahold of this, uh, secret girlfriend Crowley found out about." Sam replied. "This… Kelly."

"Of course, she's in that mansion with the President, which is guarded like a fortress," Angela added. "Which means, only one of us has a chance of getting in there."

Sam, Angela, Dean, Castiel, and Rowena all looked at Crowley.

"Bollocks." He muttered.

~/~\~

Kelly sat on the motel bed holding a glass of water. "No, no, you're making it up. It's impossible."

"Well, to be fair, so is teleporting," Dean replied. "But… ta-da."

"Who are you people?" Kelly asked nervously.

"Well, dear, I'm a witch." Rowena waved and then nodded to Castiel. "He's an angel."

Crowley raised his hand. "And I'm the King of Hell."

"Oh, God." Kelly gasped.

"No, actually, he left," Castiel informed.

"Okay, guys, not helping." Sam cut in.

"You—you can't. He's the President." Kelly stressed.

"He was, but now…" Angela trailed off. "Tell me he hasn't been acting different."

"Jeff's been under a lot of stress," Kelly reasoned. "He—

"Wrong." Crowley interrupted. "He's the Devil. Horns, pitchfork, the whole nine."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Crowley, still not helping. Listen, we know what we're talking about here. We have been on Lucifer's trail for a long time."

"And we know you're pregnant with his child," Rowena added.

"That's—that's—you're lying," Kelly argued.

"The thing inside you, it's unholy." Castiel opened the nightstand and pulled out a bible. "It's an abomination."

"That's n—

Castiel held the Bible in front of Kelly. "Place your hand here."

Kelly looked up at him and reluctantly placed her hand on the Bible. Immediately, her handprint was seared into the cover and erupted in flames. She quickly pulled her hand away and Dean brought over a trash can and a pitcher of water. Castiel dropped the Bible into the trash can and Dean doused the flames out with the water.

"No." Kelly breathed out. "Oh, no."

"Does he even know you're knocked up?" Dean questioned.

"Yes, he… He said he was thrilled. He said it was the only time he ever created anything."

"Kelly… we need your help." Angela pleaded.

~/~\~

The guards searched the hotel room. Sam, Dean, Angela, Rowena, and Grace were waiting in an adjective room. Angela held Grace on her hip. Once they heard the guards leave, the hunters and Rowena walked into the main room.

~/~\~

Kelly opened the door and swallowed nervously when she saw Lucifer.

"Kelly," he greeted as he walked into the room. "Kelly, what's wrong?"

"I told you on the phone," she replied. "I can't have this baby."

Lucifer clenched his jaw and grabbed Kelly around the neck, slamming her into the wall. "I'm afraid I'll have to insist."

His eyes glowed red as he choked Kelly. Sam burst out of the adjacent room holding the hyperbolic pile generator. He placed his hand on a sigil that was painted on the inside of the door he came through.

"Sam!" Lucifer yelled in annoyance.

"Vade retro," Sam chanted.

"We've done this dance so many times." Lucifer sneered.

"Princeps Inferni."

The weapon started to glow and Lucifer actually started to look worried. He walked away from Kelly and stalked toward Sam. The hyperbolic pulse generator shot a white light at Lucifer's chest, driving him away. A strong wind was created by the light stream coming out of the weapon. Sam was struggling to keep his place as Dean and Angela burst into the room.

"Sam!" Dean yelled.

Lucifer swept his arm toward Dean, Angela, and Rowena but nothing happened. Light bulbs were popping as the stream of light continued to pulsate into Lucifer.

"Rowena, now!" Angela yelled as she held Grace tighter.

Rowena stood over a table with a large bowl and candles on it. She dropped something into the bowl and flames erupted. "Mah tay, ez loh, say tah!"

The light pulse continued for several seconds as the wind and noise started to pick up. Lucifer's face started to crack.

"This isn't over, Sam!" Lucifer bellowed.

"Go to Hell!" Sam yelled.

"Mah tay, ez loh, say tah! Mah tay, ex loh, say tah!"

A stream of white light streamed out of Lucifer's mouth and swirled down into a heating vent. The room went deadly quiet. With Lucifer out of his body, Jeff collapsed to the floor and Castiel knelt beside him.

"He's alive. He won't remember anything."

"Oh, Jeff. Oh, my God." Kelly crawled toward him. "Jeff? Oh, my God."

"We gotta go. Get her out of here. Go." Sam instructed.

"Wait, wait." Kelly shook her head.

"Kelly, you gotta go. Go. Cas, take Angie and Grace with you." Sam told the angel.

Angela frowned. "What? Sam—

"The Secret Service are still out there. Baby, you gotta get out of here." Sam stressed.

Castiel grabbed Angela's arm and rushed her out of the room with Kelly.

"Sam!" Angela called out as Dean shut the door.

"We got him." Dean breathed out. "We got Lucifer."

~/~\~

Jeff started to rouse and the hunters knelt beside him.

"Mr. President?" Sam asked.

"Okay. All right," Dean patted his chest. Take it easy, Tiger."

Suddenly, the brothers heard pounding on the door.

"Mr. President!" one of the guards yelled before kicking in the door, guns were drawn. "On your feet! Hands on your heads!"

~/~\~

Castiel pulled Angela away from the hotel and Kelly followed them out a back door.

"I want Daddy," Grace whimpered.

"Cas, you have to let me go back in there!" Angela stressed.

"Angela, Sam told me to get you and Grace out of there. That's what I'm doing." Castiel replied.

~/~\~

"Whoa," Sam held his hands up.

"Hands on your heads!"

"Okay, listen, we were just trying t—

"Shut up!" the guard yelled. "You are under arrest for the attempted assassination of the President of the United States."

~/~\~

As one black SUV pulled away from the hotel, a heavy-duty armored vehicle pulled in. Sam and Dean were taken out of the hotel room in handcuffs on their wrists and ankles. Rick looked on as they were loaded into the armored car. The brothers shared a worried look.

"Looks good from here," a voice came from the walkie.

~/~\~

Castiel, Kelly, Angela, and Grace were sitting in a diner. Angela sat next to Castiel with Grace on her lap.

"I'm sorry," Kelly apologized. "I just… I need a minute."

Kelly stood up and walked toward the women's restroom. She hesitated at the door and when Castiel and Angela weren't looking, she snuck out the back door.

"Cas, we have to go back," Angela pleaded. "If the Secret Service went back in there—

"Angela, Sam wanted to make sure you and Grace were safe." Castiel interrupted.

Angela paused and then her brows furrowed slightly. "Kelly's been in the restroom a while…"

Castiel got up and stood outside the restroom. "Kelly. Kelly, are you all right? Kelly?"

As Castiel opened the bathroom door, his cell phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

 _"Castiel…"_ Kelly's voice cracked. _"I can't do it."_

"Kelly." Castiel frowned.

_"I can feel it inside me. I'm its mother."_

"Kelly, you listen to me," Castiel started firmly. "This is not a baby. This is the spawn of Lucifer."

 _"It's my child."_ She replied before the line went dead.

"No, no. Kelly, you…" Castiel huffed and walked back over to Angela. "She's gone."

~/~\~

Sam and Dean were in the heavy-duty armored car that sped down the road. Dean looked at Sam, who just shook his head and swallowed nervously.


	17. First Blood Part 1

_Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (Site 94)_

Agent Camp sauntered into Dean cell while Dean sat on his cot, stoic and silent.

"Hi, Dean. How you doing? Can I get you coffee? Water? Or you hungry?" Agent Camp dug through his pockets. "I got a chocolate bar here somewhere. Don't tell my wife. So… You've had a day. Wanna tell me about it?" he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "Like, for example, why you went after the leader of the free world? Well, let me guess. You don't like cops," he chuckled. "Hell, I get it. We can be _real_ jackasses. But you're gonna talk to me, son. You just are. Now that's not a threat. I don't believe in torture. Doesn't work. Oh, I've seen folks waterboarded, cut on. And they talk. Ooh, they do."

Dean just clenched his jaw and kept staring stoically.

"But they never tell you what they need." Agent Camp continued. "You know what does work, though? Every time? Nothing. See, when I leave, that door closes, and it stays closed. And you stay in the dark. Now, maybe that doesn't sound so bad. But after a month?" he moved to lean down in front of Dean. "A year? You spend enough time staring at these walls, just you and all that nothing, you'll get so crazy to talk, to see someone real, you'll tell me exactly what I need. You'll tell me with a smile. It'll just take some time."

Agent Camp leaned back against the wall opposite Dean with his arms crossed.

"Of course, the thing is, after what you did, no one's in a hurry to get you that phone call. So you and me, we got all the time in the world."

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Mary, Robert, Castiel, and Angela stood around the map table. Angela and Castiel stood on one side while Mary and Robert stood opposite them.

"You left them." Mary accused.

"No, I… Dean told me to go. Sam told me to take Angela with me." Castiel argued. "The woman—

"The one _you_ lost?" Mary raised her brows.

"I didn't… I… I thought that she—

"Stop making excuses!" Mary snapped.

Castiel looked down and Angela squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. Mary sighed heavily.

"Why… Angela, if you guys needed help, why didn't any of you call?" Mary asked quietly.

Angela looked up at Mary and Robert, shrugging weakly. "You and Dad were out."

Mary sighed again. "How did we let this happen?"

~/~\~

_Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (Site 94)_

Dean sat on the cot and managed to find a loose bolt on the frame. He unscrewed it and used it to begin scratching tally marks into the concrete cell wall to make the days.

~/~\~

"Chow time!" the prison guard yelled.

A tray of food was shoved through a small window in Sam's cell door. He walked over and took the tray before he sat back down on his cot. Sam began picking at his food and grimaced in disgust.

~/~\~

"Chow time!"

A similar tray of food was shoved through the window in cell Dean's door. He grabbed the tray, stabbed the meat onto his fork, and sniffed it. He shrugged and shoved the forkful into his mouth.

"Mm."

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Castiel, Angela, and Crowley sat at a booth in the bar. Grace sat on Angela's lap and was coloring in her coloring book.

"Can't help you." Crowley shrugged.

"Crowley, please," Angela sighed heavily. "The police took them. You have people in the government. You have spies."

"I do, Bambi," Crowley nodded. "But whatever's happened to Moose and Squirrel, apparently, it's above their paygrade."

Castiel narrowed his eyes. "Do you even care that they're gone?"

"No," Crowley replied. "Do you know how many all-powerful beings have tried to kill them?"

"Roughly, yes." Castiel nodded.

"As do I. I was bloody one of them." Crowley retorted. "Sam and Dean? They're like herpes. Just when you think they're gone… Hello! The boys are back, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. So, wherever they are, whoever has Sam and Dean, well… In the immortal words of Lawrence Tureaud… I pity the fool." He imitated Mr. T before getting up, patting Castiel on the shoulder, and leaving.

Angela ran a hand over her face, clearly frustrated while Castiel glared after Crowley.

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Angela, Castiel, Mary, Robert, and Grace sat in a booth in a restaurant. Grace was eating chicken tenders and fries as the adults talked.

"How're you doin', Pumpkin?" Robert asked gently.

"Could be better," Angela laughed humorlessly. "Gracie keeps asking where Sam is, and I've been feeling nauseous lately."

"Thanks for meeting me. Both of you." Mary smiled softly. "I just wanted to say," she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I was angry, and… Sam and Dean, that's not your or Castiel's fault."

"Have you heard anything?" Castiel's brows creased together.

"All our law enforcement contacts are retired, or… dead." Robert sighed heavily. "We're trying, but… You?"

Castiel just shook his head.

"I keep telling myself they're fine," Mary whispered. "They've only been gone—

"Six weeks, two days, and ten hours," Angela whispered.

"We'll find them, Pumpkin," Robert assured. "We will. Until then, we just… We're doin' our best."

"Are we?" Castiel asked. "Did you hear about the murders in Lancaster, Missouri?"

"No." Mary frowned.

"The women with their throats ripped out, the blood drained?"

"Vampire." Robert shook his head.

"I saw it on the news and I thought, that's the sort of thing Sam and Dean would investigate. They would roll into town, save the kill the monsters. But with them gone… I tried to work the case. I tried." Castiel laughed bitterly. "But… I don't know what I did wrong. I… I asked the questions, but maybe they were the wrong people, or the wrong questions, and I just—I never found it. Never found the monster. Never even got close. And three more women died before I left town. Before I ran away."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Cas," Angela apologized. "I just… I don't want to leave Grace right now."

"So, we go back. All of us." Mary suggested.

"No," Castiel shook his head. "No, I'd only get in your way."

~/~\~

_Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (Site 94)_

"Chow time!" the guard yelled as he shoved another food tray through the door.

After a few moments, he frowned when he got no response.

"Yo, eat up." The guard crouched down to peer through the window, only to see Sam lying unresponsive in his cot. "Crap."

The guard left and immediately came back with Agent Camp and Rick, rushing to Sam's cell.

"I was doing my rounds, and I did CPR, but he was gone." The guard explained.

More guards stood around in Sam's open cell, and Rick walked right up to his body

"Get that other cell open. Now!" Rick bellowed.

The door to Dean's cell opened, revealing him lying also apparently dead on the floor. Agent Camp rushed to Dean and checked for a pulse.

"He's dead."

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Castiel sat in the dark library and listened to a voicemail from Mary.

 _"Castiel, it's me,"_ her voice rang through. _"I'm just calling to… You don't have to worry about that thing in Missouri. Robert and I are handling it."_

As the voicemail ended, Angela walked into the library and sat next to the angel.

"Hey, Cas," she greeted softly. "I just put Gracie down for a nap. She keeps asking where Sam is. I don't know what to tell her."

"I'm sorry, Angela," Castiel apologized sincerely. "I should be doing more to find them, and I just… I don't know where to start."

"It's not your fault, Cas," she assured.

"How are you feeling?" he inquired curiously.

Angela just shrugged. "The past few weeks I've been vomiting, but I haven't had time to go to a doctor. It's probably just stress."

Castiel placed two fingers on Angela's forehead and his brows furrowed slightly. "It's not stress."

"Well then what is it?" Angela scoffed lightly. "A stomach bug?"

"No," Castiel shook his head. "Angela, you're pregnant."

Angela's eyes widened and she shook her head. "I-I can't… No. Cas, tell me you're kidding. _Please._ Sam's not here and I—I can't do this without him." Her voice cracked.

"You're about eight weeks along," Castiel informed. "And no matter what, you will _not_ be doing this alone. We will find Sam and Dean."

~/~\~

_Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (Site 94)_

Back in the prison morgue, Dean gasped suddenly and coughed as he sat up. Sam was already sitting up behind him on the other table.

"You good?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I've been better," Dean muttered. "I've been worse."

"Looks like it worked."

"So far," Dean added.

A door slammed in the distance and the brothers were immediately on the alert. Dr. Winters returned to the morgue and Dean jumped him while Sam shushed him.

"H-How?" Dr. Winters stammered.

"Where are we?" Sam questioned.

"I-I don't know."

"Answer him!" Dean growled as he dug through the doctor's pockets and stole his phone.

"Seriously, they blindfold me every day before they bring me to work." Dr. Winters assured. "I… This place. It's not supposed to exist."

~/~\~

Sam and Dean snuck out a door marked, 'RESTRICTED AREA: AUTHORIZED PERSONS ONLY.'

Sam inspected the area outside and nodded to Dean. "Clear."

They tried to sneak away while Dean tried to make a phone call, but repeatedly got Castiel's voicemail.

_"This is my voicemail. Make your voice… a mail…"_

Sam indicated the van parked outside. "Hey, should we take it?"

"No, it's probably got LoJack," Dean replied before trying to call Castiel again. "Come on, Cas."

"Got a map," Sam noted.

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Castiel's phone rang as Angela walked into the library. She looked around, not seeing Castiel anywhere. She grabbed the phone and answered it.

"What?"

 _"Angie,"_ Dean's voice rang through.

Angela's eyes widened and she covered her mouth as she let out a relieved sob. "Dean? Is Sam with you?"

 _"Hey, sweetheart. Long time."_ Dean replied. _"Don't worry kiddo, he's with me."_

"What… what happened? Wh—where are you?" Angela stammered.

~/~\~

_Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (Site 94)_

"You wouldn't believe me, and I have no clue," Dean told Angela. "Uh…"

"Got something," Sam looked up from his map at the surrounding mountains. "All right, looks like that's Elk Mountain, which makes that Long's Peak."

"Okay, looks like we're in Colorado," Dean informed Angela.

"In Rocky National Park," Sam added. "Uh, if we head north, we should his State Route 34. Eventually."

"Did you get that, kiddo?" Dean asked.

 _"Yeah,"_ Angela's voice rang through.

"All right, meet us there."

_"Wait, where?"_

"Just drive along the road and you'll see us. And, Angie… We're kinda on the clock here." Dean replied before hanging up.

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

"Wait, what does that…" Angela sighed as the line disconnected. "Cas!"

~/~\~

_Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (Site 94)_

"You didn't tell her?" Sam's brows furrowed.

"No." Dean shook his head.

"They'll track the phone." Sam realized.

"Right." Dean threw the phone into the van before they both ran off to the north through the woods.


	18. First Blood Part 2

_Colorado_

Mary and Robert pulled up in a parking lot and were joined by Angela, Castiel, and Grace.

"You got here quickly," Castiel commented as he, Angela, and Grace got into the back seat.

"Yep." Mary nodded. "What do you think we're walking into?"

"I don't know," Angela admitted.

"We may want backup," Robert suggested.

"Crowley and Rowena?" Castiel shrugged.

Mary scoffed lightly. "The King of Hell and his mother? The witch? Hope we can do better than that."

"I may have an idea," Castiel replied.

"Good." Robert nodded. "Seat belt on. Mary drives fast."

~/~\~

Sam and Dean were trudging through the muddy woods.

"All right, so we got what? An hour 'til dark?" Sam muttered. "Which puts us at six hours 'til midnight?"

"That sounds about right." Dean nodded.

"Dean, we gotta talk about this."

"Okay, we will. All right?" Dean assured his brother. "Later."

~/~\~

Mary, Robert, Angela, and Castiel were parked along a forested road, and have met up with their backup, Mick and Ketch. Angela held Grace on her hip.

"This is your idea?" Mary scoffed. "The people that almost killed my boys and Angela? They're gonna be our backup? Suddenly the demon and his mommy don't look so bad."

"They helped us with Lucifer," Castiel argued.

"Lucifer? The Lucifer?" Mick's brows shot up.

"Yes." Castiel nodded.

"Wait, so you're telling me what happened in Indianapolis was you took on the bleedin' devil himself?" Mick asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Castiel confirmed.

"Did you win?" Arthur questioned.

"Yes," Angela nodded. "And it wasn't the first time, either."

Mick and Arthur shared a very impressed glance with one another.

"Bravo," Arthur smirked.

"But… Sam and Dean were taken," Mary revealed. "We think we can get them back, but we need… help."

"So, we'll help." Mick nodded.

"Really? Just like that?" Angela quirked a brow.

"Mrs. Winchester—Angela…" Mick quickly corrected. "I came to this country to do one thing—Make friends. But you American hunters, you're… you're a different breed than our sort. You're surly. Suspicious. You don't play well with others."

"Well, that is accurate," Castiel muttered.

"You don't trust people you don't know, even when they come bearings gifts." Mick continued. "Now I can't help that, but I can help you. And if word were to get out that we did our part to save Sam and Dean Winchester, well, that's just good business, innit? And who knows? When all this is over, we might even be friends."

"We think Sam and Dean were being held somewhere in the Rocky Mountain National Forest," Angela explained.

"Site 94?" Arthur inquired. "It's a government facility, off books. Shadow ops. One of those places that officially doesn't exist."

"Then how do you know about it?" Robert questioned.

"We gather information. It's our job." Mick replied.

"They told us to meet them off State Route 34," Castiel added.

"Well, that's a long stretch of road," Arthur muttered. "Where, exactly?"

"I'm not sure."

"I'll get our techs to put a satellite over the area," Mick muttered.

"You can do that?" Mary's brows shot up.

"And so much more." Mick smiled.

Everyone was about to leave, but Arthur held Castiel back for a moment.

"Do you have any idea what sort of trouble we're walking into?"

"No," Castiel answered.

"Oh, good. I do like a surprise."

~/~\~

Sam and Dean were hiding behind a large tree when they noticed the soldiers headed their way.

"They're on us," Sam whispered.

"Yeah. Dammit."

The brothers took off running again and then stopped behind another large tree. As a single soldier searched the woods nearby, he was distracted by his walkie talkie.

"This is Norton," he said into the radio. "I'm on the ri—

Norton was cut off by Sam tackling him, and Dean wrestled away his gun and radio.

 _"Norton?"_ the radio crackles. _"Norton, this is Sanchez, do you copy?"_

Sam had choked Norton into unconsciousness and Dean picked up the walkie talkie.

"Norton has gone night-night," Dean told Rick.

 _"Winchester,"_ Rick's voice rang through.

"This is the man in charge?" Dean demanded.

_"That's right."_

"Well, let me tell you how this is gonna go. You're gonna call your boys, and you're gonna turn around, and nobody's gonna get hurt."

 _"No, no."_ Rick retorted. _"This is how it's gonna go. I take my highly trained soldiers, track your ass down, and you get hurt. A lot. You can't run forever. You're trapped out here."_

"Well, what we have here is a failure to communicate. 'Cause we're not trapped out here with you." Dean warned. "You're trapped out here with us."

~/~\~

Night had fallen, and the brothers were still running through the woods when they stumbled across an abandoned cabin.

"That'll work." Dean shrugged.

~/~\~

Inside the cabin, it was dark and dusty, but the brothers quickly and quietly set to work laying out a series of booby traps. Dean found a hunting knife while Sam found a box of matches and an oil lamp, lighting it. Dean managed to find a bear trap and set it up in the woods outside, covering it with leaves. Sam found a first aid kit and set it beside the lamp, completing their plan.

~/~\~

One of the soldiers, in the cabin, stepped slowly across the floor and heard a gun cock from below the floorboards. When shots rang out, he got shot in the feet from below the floor and crumbled to the ground, screaming.

~/~\~

Another soldier, behind the cabin, was now on high alert to the sounds inside and was distracted enough for Dean to sneak up behind him and grab the soldier's sidearm from his thigh holster and overpower him, stabbing him in the leg. The man fell to the ground, clutching his injured leg as Dean ran off.

"Go!" Rick yelled.

~/~\~

Inside the cabin, Sam overpowered another soldier and knocked him out easily. On his way out, Sam took the first aid kit from the table and set it down on the chest of the man who had been shot in the feet.

"You'll live," Sam told the man before grabbing his rifle and leaving the cabin.

~/~\~

Rick aimed his gun into the woods in search of a target and Dean snuck up behind him.

"Hey," Dean called out.

Rick turned and aimed his gun at Dean. As he took a step forward, Rick stepped into the bear trap and dropped his gun as he fell to the ground in pain. Dean kicked the gun away and Rick looked up at him, expecting to be killed.

"I told you. You're trapped."

Agent Camp stepped out of the woods behind Dean and Rick spotted him.

"Camp. Shoot him!"

Agent Camp cocked his handgun and was about to take aim at Dean when Sam came up alongside Agent Camp, aiming a rifle at his head.

"Don't," Sam warned. "Hand me the gun." He demanded, taking the gun from the older agent. "You want the truth? The President was possessed by the Devil. We saved his life. That's the truth."

"Now you can take that and do whatever you want with it," Dean added. "But if you come after us, you know what'll happen."

Sam and Dean stood together and walked away from the cabin.

"Who are you?" Agent Camp called out.

"We're the guys that saved the world," Sam answered.

~/~\~

The underbrush rustled and the brothers came crashing out to meet Castiel, Angela, and Grace, who were standing in the clearing waiting for them.

"Sam! Dean!" Castiel exclaimed.

"Cas," the brothers replied in unison.

"Sammy!" Angela ran to her husband.

"Oh, baby," Sam breathed out, picking her up easily. "I am so glad to see you."

"Daddy!" Grace ran over, beaming. "I'm four now!"

Sam set Angela down and picked Grace up. "Look at you, you are getting so big, Peanut. I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

"It's okay," Grace kissed her father's cheek. "Missed you and Unca Dean."

"We missed you too, sweetheart," Dean sauntered over after hugging Castiel. "Angie, you are a sight for sore eyes."

Angela walked over and hugged Dean tightly. "I'm so happy you boys are safe."

After their reunion, Sam finally noticed Mary and Robert standing a short distance away.

"Mom," Sam handed Grace back to Angela while he went to hug his mother.

"Glad to see you boys safe and sound." Robert nodded.

Dean walked over and hugged Mary tightly and clapped Robert on the shoulder.

~/~\~

Angela carried Grace as they all walked the rest of the way through the woods, back to Mary's car.

"How did y'all even find us?" Sam asked curiously.

"They helped," Mary replied.

"Hello, lads," Mick greeted.

"They have a thermal imaging satellite that saw you. From space." Castiel informed.

"Well, we don't _have_ one. Just borrowed it for a bit." Mick corrected. "Friends in all the right places."

"Well, I guess this is where we're supposed to say thank you," Dean replied.

"No need. Happy to be of service."

"Again," Arthur added.

"Okay, then." Sam nodded. "We should get. The people we left, they'll call for backup any second."

"Uh, you left survivors?" Arthur raised his brows.

"They were soldiers," Dean argued. "Just doing what they were told."

"Still… a bit unprofessional," Arthur muttered.

"We'll handle it," Sam assured. "Let's get."

Dean glared at Arthur and Castiel gave him a dubious look before they all piled into Mary's car.

~/~\~

Mary drove toward a bridge. Inside the car, the GPS screen showed that it was 11:59 pm. Dean, in the back seat, looked over at him. Mary glanced back to smile at Dean.

"So, wait, you and Robert are hunting?" Dean's brows creased together.

"A little bit," Mary admitted.

"Yeah," Sam smirked. "I knew you couldn't stay away."

Suddenly, the radio turned on and static crackled. The car started to lose all power and the engine sputtered to a halt just as it rolled up to the bridge.

"It's time," Sam muttered.

Dean cast a guilty look at Castiel and Angela, and the realization dawned on them that Dean knew exactly what was happening. Dean couldn't bear to look at either of them and turned away. The car continued to roll out onto the bridge and finally stopped. The doors opened and everyone got out.

"What's happening?" Robert questioned.

"Yeah, Dean," Billie said suddenly. "'Sup."

"Billie?" Angela approached the reaper, along with Mary and Castiel.

"The reaper?" Castiel frowned.

"I don't understand." Angela shook her head.

"Kiddo… that place… there was only one way we were getting out of there, and that wasn't breathing." Dean explained. "So, I made a call."

"Dean talked with her, and then Billie came to see me," Sam added. "And we made a deal. We'd get to die and come back one more time, but in exchange…"

"Come midnight, a Winchester goes bye-bye. Like, permanently." Billie finished. "And that is something I've been looking forward to for a long time."

Mary frowned deeply. "Why would you—

"We were already dead." Dean shrugged weakly. "Being locked in that cell with nothing… I've been to Hell. This was worse."

"At least this way, one of us gets to keep fighting." Sam reasoned.

"You don't have to do this," Castiel stressed.

"Yeah, they do," Billie replied. "We made a pact, bound in blood. You break that, there's consequences on a cosmic scale. So, who's it gonna be?"

Sam and Dean looked at each other but before either of them could answer, Mary turned to face Billie, drawing her handgun from her waistband.

"Me." Mary swallowed nervously.

"Mom, mom," Dean frowned.

"No. No." Sam shook his head.

"Mary—

Billie flung everyone else away with her power.

"You said come midnight, a Winchester dies? I'm a Winchester." Mary reasoned.

"Works for me." Billie shrugged.

Mary cocked her gun and raised it toward the temple of her head.

"Mom!"

"Don't!" Dean cried out.

Mary sniffled. "I love you."

Mary was about to pull the trigger when suddenly, an angel blade pierced through Billie's chest from behind, and she fell down dead, revealing Castiel behind her. Everyone looked suitably shocked, including the angel. Mary lowered her gun and Robert, Angela, and Grace got to their feet.

"Cas, what have you done?" Dean demanded.

"What had to be done," he replied firmly. "You know this world—this sad, doomed little world—it needs you. It needs every last Winchester it can get, and I will not let you die. I won't let any of you die. And I won't let you sacrifice yourselves. You mean too much to me. To everything. Yeah, you made a deal. You made a stupid deal, and I broke it. You're welcome."

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Angela walked into the room she shared with Sam after putting Grace to bed. Sam was lying down on the bed, cleaned up and out of that blue jumpsuit.

"Hey baby," Angela sat next to him on the bed.

"Hi," Sam smiled up at her.

Angela fidgeted with the comforter nervously. "Um… I actually have something to tell you."

Sam's brows furrowed in concern and he sat up.

"It's good news," Angela assured quickly. "While you and Dean were gone, um, I had been feeling nauseous and I was vomiting—a lot. I thought it was stress or a stomach bug, but, um… Cas checked, and…" she swallowed nervously. "Sam, I'm pregnant."

Sam was silent for a few moments, digesting the information, and a smile slowly spread across his face. "Really? H-how far along are you?"

"About eight weeks." Angela grinned. "We're having another baby, Sammy."

Sam took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. "I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you."

Angela giggled and pecked Sam on the lips. "I love you too, Sammy. I'm am so, so glad that you're home."


	19. Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

In the bunker, Sam, Dean, and Angela were looking at a board with a map where they were trying to track Kelly's movements.

"Yeah, I was looking at that earlier," Sam noted. "Cas has been busy, huh?"

"Yeah, busy _not_ finding Kelly Kline or her Rosemary's baby." Dean scoffed lightly. "I mean, how's a chick like this just drop off the map?"

Sam sat down and pulled Angela to sit on his lap. "Well, I think that's what he's trying to figure out. Hey, Angie called Robert. Have you, uh, heard from Mom yet?"

"Yeah, she called last night, said she and Robert got a line on a shapeshifter in Atlanta," Dean replied. "I said we could come help, and she said, 'Don't bother.' Apparently, they've 'got it.'"

"Then they probably got it." Sam shrugged.

"Yeah," Dean muttered unconvinced.

"Mom's good," Sam assured his older brother.

"I just think she jumped back into this a little quick, don't you?" Dean asked.

"I don't think we have the kind of mom who's gonna stay home and make us chicken soup for dinner, you know?" Sam shrugged.

"Have you talked to Cas yet?" Angela asked.

"No." Dean sipped his coffee.

"So, what, you're just gonna keep walking past each other in the kitchen, not saying a word?" Angela quirked a brow.

"Maybe."

"Look, yes, Cas killed Billie, but he saved us. He saved Mom." Sam reminded. "How long are you gonna stay pissed?"

"I'm not pissed that he cares about us, you know," Dean sighed heavily. "I'm—I'm grateful. But Billie said there would be 'cosmic consequences' if that deal got broken. Either of you have any idea what that means?"

"No." Sam and Angela answered.

"Neither do I," Dean replied. "But I'm pretty sure it ain't jellybeans and g-strings."

"Our point is, Cas thought he was doing the right thing." Sam sighed.

"I _was_ doing the right thing," Castiel said as he walked into the room.

"You sure about that?" Dean questioned.

"Yes."

"Yeah? Well, I'm not so sure. And when the other shoe drops—

"I'll deal with it." Castiel interrupted. "I have to go."

"Got a lead on Kelly?" Angela asked curiously.

"No," the angel shook his head. "This is personal."

"Meaning what?" Dean asked.

"Another angel. An old friend. He called out for help."

"Oh," Dean set down his mug. "Good old reliable angel radio."

"He was begging for help and then he just stopped," Castiel explained. "I need to know if he's still alive."

"Yeah, all right." Sam nodded in understanding. "Well… we'll come with you."

"All of you?" Castiel raised his brows and looked at Dean pointedly.

Dean sighed heavily. "Sure. Yeah, we could help. Gotta make sure you don't do anything else stupid."

~/~\~

Castiel sat in the back seat of the Impala with Grace and there was an awkward silence in the car as Dean drove down the dark road.

Sam scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "All right, who wants music?"

"I'm good," Dean replied.

"You…" Sam cleared his throat. "Okay."

"Cas, is there anything specific we should know about your friend?" Angela inquired, earning no response. "All right. Guys, you know what? This—this silent treatment thing, it's immature. It's not gonna work. Whatever we're walking into, we should probably have an actual plan. Do you understand me?"

Castiel sighed deeply. "What do you wanna know?"

"Oh, he speaks." Dean sassed.

"Enough," Angela warned the eldest Winchester, using her 'mom voice'. "Cas, you said when you heard Benjamin, he—he was screaming."

"It was, um… Look, Benjamin wouldn't call for help lightly. And he wouldn't put himself in harm's way if he could help it." Castiel explained.

"Wow," Dean started. "This Benjamin seems like he's pretty cool, you know. Like he wouldn't make any half-cocked, knee-jerk choices."

"Yeah, you know what I like about him? Is that he's sarcastic, but he's thoughtful and appreciative, too." Castiel retorted.

Dean turned in his seat and glared. "Now what is that supposed to mean?"

"Okay, okay, the road, road. Dude, watch the road." Sam said as the car swerved a bit. "We have Gracie in the car, man."

"I got it," Dean assured.

"Anything else, Cas?" Sam inquired.

"Benjamin is always very careful," Castiel noted. "Long ago, he found a powerfully devout vessel in Madrid, and her faith, it… she gave him everything—her trust and her body."

Dean's brows furrowed. "Wait, so, Benjamin's a woman?"

"Benjamin is an angel. His vessel is a woman." Castiel corrected. "But it—it's—it's more than that. She's not just his vessel."

"She's… she's his friend." Sam realized.

"Yeah. Benjamin would never put her in unnecessary danger."

"Okay, well, if this Benjamin is so careful, then what happened?" Dean demanded.

"I don't know." Castiel pursed his lips. "That's what I need to find out."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Castiel were in the bar talking to the manager. Angela held Grace on her hip. Castiel stared at the dark wing imprints that were seared onto the wall.

"The police report is calling it a stabbing," Sam noted.

"Sure, yeah," the man nodded. "That's the official story. I mean, I was outside, and… Dead woman? No blood? Come on. And these crazy burn marks? It's a cult thing, right? That's why the FBI's—

Castiel turned to face the group and walked over. "Get out."

"What?" the man asked in confusion.

"Get out," Castiel repeated sternly.

"He means we can take it from here," Dean told the man. "Thanks."

"Yeah."

"We'll call you when we're done," Dean said as he walked the man toward the stairs.

"Hon, are you okay?" Angela asked Castiel quietly.

"No." he admitted. "No, Benjamin and I, we fought together. He was… he was a gifted soldier. I don't know how this could've happened."

Dean walked back over and spotted an angel blade under one of the counters. "Got something. Looks like we had a little angel-on-angel action."

Castiel took the blade from Dean and frowned. "This isn't Benjamin's blade."

As he touched the blade, Castiel suddenly heard whispering, and his brows creased together.

"What?" Sam asked in concern.

"We have to go. Now." Castiel said firmly.

~/~\~

The Impala was parked outside of a restaurant called The Wright Spot. Sam, Dean, Angela, and Castiel got out of the Impala, and Angela took Grace out of her car seat.

"All right, who we meetin'?" Sam asked.

"His name is Ishim," Castiel answered. "Before I, uh, commanded my own flight of angels, my own battalion, I served under him with Benjamin."

"And you think he knows what's going on?" Angela asked.

"We'll find out. You wait here." Castiel replied before walking toward the restaurant.

"Woah, wait," Dean stopped him. "Excuse me?"

"Ishim said to come alone. He doesn't like humans." Castiel explained. "If I plan to do anything else stupid, I'll let you know."

Sam, Dean, and Angela just looked at each other as Castiel walked inside.

~/~\~

Dean paced outside the restaurant while Sam and Angela leaned against the Impala.

"And you're gonna storm in right…" Angela trailed off as Dean prepared to go into the restaurant. "Now."

Dean went inside and Sam and Angela followed, bringing Grace with them.

"Hey." Dean greeted.

Castiel sighed in annoyance. "Dean."

"Feel a little left out over there," Dean replied. "Scoot over."

Sam and Dean squeezed into the booth with Castiel, and Sam pulled Angela down to sit on his lap.

"Hi." Grace waved innocently to Ishim.

"I said to come alone." Ishim looked at Castiel as he poured two packets of sugar into his coffee.

"These are my friends—my friends who don't listen very well." Castiel gave the hunters a pointed look.

"How you doing?" Sam asked. "I'm—

"We know who you are." Mirabel interrupted.

"Check outside to see if there are others," Ishim instructed.

Mirabel nodded and left as Ishim stirred his coffee.

"I only brought Sam, Dean, and Angela," Castiel assured.

"As far as you know," Ishim grunted.

~/~\~

"Well, who wants some pie?" Dean asked.

"You know, when I knew Castiel, he was a soldier," Ishim poured two more packets of sugar into his coffee. "He was a warrior. He was an angel's angel. Now, look how far he's fallen."

Dean eyed Ishim as he poured more sugar into his drink. "How about a little coffee with that sugar?"

Ishim and Dean stared at each other, then Ishim turned his attention to Castiel.

"No wings, no home. Just a ratty old coat and three poorly trained humans."

"Oh," Dean narrowed his eyes. "Well, you can go to Hell."

"Dean, it's fine," Castiel muttered.

"No. No, it's not." Angela retorted.

"Angela, this isn't about me. It's about Benjamin."

"Now, that is refreshingly accurate," Ishim replied. "But since you brought a couple of extra 'people' to our little chitchat, we should go somewhere more private. I have a safe house nearby." He explained as he stood up and took out some bills. "I'll go get Mirabel. So nice to see you, old friend. Have some pie."

Ishim threw the money on the table before walking out.

"Wow." Sam scoffed.

"Dick," Angela muttered as she and Sam moved to the seat Ishim vacated. "Hell of a friend, Cas."

"Why do you let him talk to you like that?" Dean asked.

"If Ishim can help me find whoever killed Benjamin, then I have to," Castiel replied.

"Okay, yeah, look, I-I get that we need super dick there, but, I mean, come on."

"The angels that I served with are being killed." Castiel reminded. "So I will put up with Ishim, I will put up with everything else, and so will you. I have to go."

Dean got up to let Castiel out of the booth. The hunters watched in concern as Castiel walked out of the restaurant.

~/~\~

"Hey!" Sam yelled as he, Dean, and Angela walked into the alley.

The brothers cocked their guns and Angela held Grace protectively.

"I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt any human." Lily told the hunters. "Just let me finish what I started."

"Yeah, not gonna happen, Patches." Dean retorted.

Suddenly, Lily held up her hand and flooded the area with a blinding light.

"Can't see," Dean grunted. "Sam? Angie? Hey."

Lily took the chance to get into her white convertible and she sped away, leaving the hunters and angels behind.

"I can't see," Angela muttered. "Baby, did you get a plate?"

"Yeah, I got it."

"Who the hell was that?!" Dean exclaimed.

~/~\~

Inside a church, Ishim was looking at the deep slash in his side.

"Ishim, let me tend to your wound."

Ishim pulled down his shirt and glared up at Castiel. "I'm fine."

Castiel sighed deeply. "Ishim, how is she still alive?"

Sam's brows shot up in shock. "Wait a second. You know her?"

"Yes."

"You don't owe them an explanation," Ishim muttered.

"Okay, hand on now. Uh, One-Eyed Willy back there wasn't trying to kill us. She was after you." Dean reminded. "So, talk before she kicks in the damn door."

"Before the Apocalypse, angels, um… well, we rarely came to Earth," Castiel noted.

"Yeah, uh, basically never, right?" Angela asked.

"Right, except this once. Many years ago, there was an anomaly."

"An anomaly?" Sam's brows furrowed.

"They won't understand." Ishim scoffed.

"Cas, hon, what's going on?" Angela asked concernedly.

~/~\~

_Orono, Maine (1901)_

_A group of angels walked through the trees and into a field where they saw a decently sized house._

_"Castiel, are we all here?" Ishim asked._

_Castiel, in a female vessel, nodded. "Yes."_

_"Why are we even on Earth?" Benjamin sneered. "It's so wet."_

_"Stop complaining." Mirabel scoffed._

_"We're here because one of our fellow angels has taken a human wife," Ishim explained. "They also have a small daughter."_

_"A Nephilim? You're sure?" Castiel asked._

_"Father has wings. Mother's a primate. And this child has a human soul mixed with angelic grace. Now that's—_

_"Dangerous." Mirabel interrupted. "Nephilim are forbidden by the oldest laws in Heaven."_

_"We jumped down here for a kid?" Benjamin asked incredulously._

_"Nephilim grow up." Castiel retorted. "They grow into their power and then—_

_"Entire worlds die." Mirabel cut in._

_"So, we've come to set things right," Ishim noted._

_Six angels strode toward the house and the door opened. Akobel and Lily came out of the house._

_"Akobel, please," Lily begged._

_"Go back inside. Just…" Akobel leaned down and whispered indistinctly._

_Lily nodded and turned to go back inside the house, shutting the door behind her._

_"You have no business being here," Akobel told the other angels._

_"Me?" Ishim scoffed. "You were sent here to observe humanity, to watch and to learn. But instead, taking up with a filthy animal. Have you no shame?"_

_"Who are you to lecture me about shame?" Akobel demanded as he walked down the steps. "Humans aren't animals. Most of them are good and true and… How could anyone know them and not love them?"_

_"Touching, but we're not—_

_"I know why you're here." Akobel cut Ishim off._

_Angel blades were produced and Akobel began fighting, but Benjamin and Mirabel grabbed his arms, subduing him._

_"Castiel." Ishim looked at the angel._

_"Akobel," Castiel started. "Seraphim of the Sixth Choir, you have lain with a human and you have fathered a Nephilim."_

_Akobel's eyes widened. "What?"_

_Ishim grabbed Akobel by the throat, stopping him from talking._

_"Continue."_

_"You have broken our most sacred oath, and the penalty is…" Castiel trailed off as Mirabel stabbed Akobel in the chest. "…death."_

_"Dispose of his vessel," Ishim instructed. "This next part, I'll do alone." He added as he walked into the house._

_"No!" Lily yelled from inside. "No! Stay away from my daughter!"_

_A little girl's scream could be heard, and Castiel flinched ever so slightly._

~/~\~

_Present Day_

Sam ran a hand over his face. "Cas, you, um…"

"We completed a mission." Castiel defended.

"Some mission," Dean muttered.

"It was horrific, but it was necessary. It was right." Castiel stressed.

"Well, you say so."

"And the woman?" Angela inquired.

"Lily Sunder," Ishim answered. "She was a professor of Apocalyptic Literature. Studied angels, speaks fluent Enochian. I took mercy on her by letting her live."

"And now she wants revenge." Dean sighed.

"Hmm. Mm-hmm."

"I mean, she's gotta be what, 100 years old?" Sam asked.

"No. More," Castiel replied.

"Yeah, but somehow, she's still kicking ass?" Dean frowned.

"No. Not somehow." Ishim shook his head. "I know what she's up to. She made some kind of demonic pact. Keeps her young, keeps her strong. Keeps her immune from our powers."

"All right, but we'll find her," Dean assured. "Me, Sam, and Angie."

"No," Castiel frowned. "Dean."

"Cas, she doesn't care about us, okay?" Dean shrugged. "She's gunning for you guys."

"Yeah, maybe we can reason with her," Sam added.

"Uh, four dead angels indicate that perhaps she is not reasonable," Castiel argued. "If she has this dark power, it will take all of us to fight her." He added before turning to Ishim. "And I need to heal your wound."

"I have to agree with Cas," Angela spoke up. "It's too dangerous for just us to go."

"Her family was murdered." Sam reminded. "I mean, I-I know Cas was just doing a job, but—

"Are you saying that those angels deserved to die?" Castiel questioned.

"What?" Sam frowned.

"You think I deserve to die?"

"No, no. That's not what he's saying." Dean interjected.

"What is he saying?" Castiel demanded.

"I'm saying maybe if we find her, we can explain to her that you're different now, you know?" Sam suggested.

"Sam, that won't work." Castiel huffed. "She won't quit. Think about it. Would you?"

"Castiel's right. It won't work."

Sam looked over at Ishim. "We have to try."

"He's right," Dean agreed. "And we're not askin'."


	20. Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets Part 2

"You sure about this address?" Dean asked as they walked out of the elevator.

"Well," Sam adjusted Grace in his arms. "Lily's car was a rental, so I called the company. I told them she was wanted for questioning by the FBI. The pinged the LoJack—

"Okay, you could've just said yes." Dean interrupted.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yes. So, what's the plan?"

"Well, we knock on her door and ask her nicely not to kill any more angels."

"And if she says no?" Angela asked.

"Then we burn that bridge when we come to it," Dean answered.

Sam, Dean, and Angela turned a corner and ran into Lily. She was startled and immediately brandished her angel blades.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Sam exclaimed.

"Give us a second," Dean held up his hands.

"How did you find me?" Lily demanded.

"We're here to talk, that's it," Sam assured. "We come in peace. Just hear us out. We heard what happened to your family."

"My family?"

"See, Cas is our family, so we can't let you hurt him," Dean replied.

"Let me?" Lily scoffed.

"We don't want to kill you," Angela stressed.

"I don't want to kill you," Lily replied.

"Okay, good." Sam nodded. "Look, there we go. Agreed. Listen, it's not Cas's fault that Heaven has these crazy rules about Nephilim." He explained, earning a confused look from Lily. "Your daughter."

"You think…" Lily dropped the blades and walked toward the Winchesters. "Her name was May, and she was beautiful. I had a life, a wonderful life, until… They took everything from me. All my life, I dreamed about angels, I studied them. I made them my life's work until finally, I learned the spell to summon one—Ishim. When I first saw him, it was like looking into the face of the Divine. I thought he was perfect. But he is a monster. I had my daughter long before I ever laid eyes on an angel."

Dean frowned deeply. "Wait, so…"

"My daughter was human," Lily told the hunters.

"Just…" Dean cleared his throat. "Um…" he turned and lowered his voice. "Are you buying any of this?"

"Yeah, kinda," Sam whispered.

"All right, well, we gotta make sure, you know. I mean, Ishim's a tool, but—You know what? I'm gonna call Cas." Dean muttered as he dialed. "Come on, come on, come on. Yeah, he's not answering."

"Okay. Just go. Sam and I will stay here." Angela muttered.

"What? And leave you here with her? You kidding me? She—

"She is no threat whatsoever to humans," Lily interjected. "And she can hear you."

"Okay. Okay." Dean nodded and walked away, leaving Sam and Angela in the hall with Lily.

~/~\~

Lily, Sam, Angela, and Grace were in Lily's hotel room. Lily held an old picture of her and May.

"Can I ask you a question?" Angela asked.

"Yeah."

"I-I get wanting revenge, Sam and I both get it." Angela started. "W-We really do. But… why wait so long?"

"I had no choice," Lily answered. "Before the angels fell, before they lost their wings, there would've been no way to hunt them down. But now… Patience is a talent. You'd be amazed at what a person can do with a little bit of purpose and an abundance of time."

"Hmm." Sam hummed. "Ishim said you said some kind of pact, um… that you're using dark magic."

"Did he? I've studied angels all my… very long life. I use their magic to fight, to hear them, to stay alive."

Angela's brows furrowed. "Enochian magic. That's… possible?"

"It is if you're willing to pay the price of admission." Lily gestured to her eyepatch. "Every time I use one of their spells, a piece of my soul burns away. And once it's gone…"

"You won't feel anything anymore." Sam finished and Angela held his hand comfortingly. "You won't, uh, care about anything anymore. You won't be human anymore."

"I used to dream about my daughter every night," Lily noted. "Do you know what I dream about now? Nothing. You don't trust me. I understand. But when your brother confronts Ishim, the angel will kill him. Ishim's a big man in Heaven." She explained. "He's got too much to lose if the truth comes out. And when your brother's dead, you won't stand in my way anymore. You'll help me. And for that, I can wait."

~/~\~

Dean opened the door and walked into the church. He walked over to Castiel, who was sitting on the couch.

"Cas?" Dean walked over, sitting next to him. "Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Castiel assured. "And Ishim is fully recovered."

"Yeah. Okay." Dean pursed his lips. "Uh, maybe wish you hadn't done that just yet."

"Wait, why?" Castiel frowned in confusion.

"This Lily chick? Says that her daughter was human. I think Ishim… I think he's playing you."

"You're back," Ishim said suddenly, grabbing their attention. "So, what's new?"

~/~\~

Castiel struggled to stand while Dean helped him.

"Is it… is it true, Ishim?" Castiel asked as he walked toward him weakly.

"Is what true?" Ishim retorted.

"Lily Sunder's daughter, was she human?" Castiel demanded.

"Who told you that?"

"She did," Dean answered. "Said you were pretty obsessed."

"Well, she's a liar." Ishim scoffed.

"Why would she lie?" Castiel squinted.

"She's human. It's kinda what they do."

"Well, if she's a liar, she's pretty good at it," Dean replied. "You, on the other hand, kind of suck."

"Who are you gonna believe?" Ishim asked Castiel. "Your brother, or some filthy ape who's always talking down to you, always mocking you."

"You know, Cas and I might not agree all the time, but at least he knows who his real friends are."

"Why do his words bother you so much, Ishim?" Castiel asked accusingly.

"Who is he to question my choice? Who is he to question yours?"

"Well, it seems that some of my choices may need to be questioned," Castiel stood nose-to-nose with Ishim. "Now tell me. The girl—was she human?"

Ishim smirked darkly. "Oh, you're not gonna like the answer."

Dean pulled out an angel blade and rushed Ishim, who tossed Dean back against the wall with a flick of his wrist. Castiel threw a punch but was blocked. Ishim punched Castiel, who fell to the ground, and Ishim grabbed him by the collar of his coat.

"I used to envy you, Castiel." Ishim sneered. "You believe that?" he punched Castiel again.

While Dean had the chance, he used the angel blade to cut his palm.

"You survived Hell," Ishim growled. "You were chosen by God. But now look at you. You're just sad and pathetically weak." He punched Castiel, who fell to the floor and stopped moving. "So, now… I'm gonna help you. I'm gonna cure you of your human weakness the same way I cured my own," he produced an angel blade. "By cutting it out."

Ishim strode toward Dean, who backed up to reveal an angel-blasting sigil. Dean's hand hovered over it.

"Don't move," he warned.

"Do it," Ishim taunted. "You blast me away, you'll blast away every angel in the room. I'll survive. Castiel, on the other hand, he's hurt. He might live or he might just end up a bloody smear on the wall. Roll the dice."

Dean thought for a moment and lowered his hand.

"Yeah. That's what I thought." Ishim smirked.

"Ishim!" Lily shouted. "No."

Ishim turned to see Lily and Sam both armed with angel blades while Angela stood behind them holding Grace.

"Hello, my love." Ishim greeted.

Lily motioned Ishim forward while Sam and Angela ran toward Dean.

"Hey." Sam and Angela greeted.

"I thought you were supposed to keep her out of this," Dean grunted.

"Yeah, we changed our minds," Angela replied.

"Good call," Dean noted as Lily and Ishim fought.

"All right. Plan B. Come on." Sam muttered. "Baby, you stay here."

Ishim pushed Lily away harshly and Sam ran toward Ishim, slicing at his side with an angel blade.

"Aah!" Ishim yelled in pain.

He punched Sam, who fell back onto the ground. Dean jumped in and sliced Ishim on the leg. Ishim grabbed Dean and tossed him before turning to face Lily.

"It's over."

"No," Lily pulled off her eyepatch to reveal one clouded eye. "I will never be powerless again."

She put her hand up and her eye flashed brightly. Ishim was pushed against the wall by an invisible force.

"You can't hold me here forever." He growled.

Ishim fought against the force and slowly started to move forward. He managed to get close to Lily and raised to angel blade, ready to strike. Just as he lunged forward, Castiel stabbed him in the back with an angel blade.

"Aah!" Ishim yelled as he dropped to the ground, dead.

Castiel fell to his knees and looked up at Lily. "You held him for long enough."

~/~\~

Ishim was lying on the ground and Lily stood over his dead body.

"All right, so, uh… What now?" Sam asked.

"He's dead. Are you done?" Dean questioned.

"Revenge is all I've had for over a hundred years," Lily replied. "It's what I am."

"Wrong answer," Dean replied firmly. "You're done."

"Dean," Castiel warned before looking up at Lily. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. And… while it's true that I didn't know we were killing an innocent, ignorance is no excuse." He stood up and walked toward Lily. "I truly can't imagine the depths of your loss. This was your child. And while I do not have a child of my own, I have a niece who I love very much. But I can't fully imagine the pain. So, if you leave here and you find that you can't forgive me… I'll be waiting."

"Thank you," Lily replied sincerely.

~/~\~

Castiel sat at the map table in the bunker with Grace on his lap. Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the room and Dean handed Castiel a beer.

"You earned it."

"Well, this will do very little for me," Castiel replied. "But I-I appreciate the gesture."

"What Ishim said… You're not weak, Cas." Angela noted. "You know that, right?"

"I mean, obviously, you've changed, but it's all been for the better, man," Sam assured.

"And you have been with us every step of this long, crazy thrill ride," Dean added. "And no matter how crazy it got, you never backed down."

"And that takes real strength." Sam nodded.

"Love you, Unca Cas." Grace smiled.

A smile tugged at Castiel's lips. "Thank you."

"Cas, I don't like how the whole Billie thing went down. Okay?" Dean sighed. "I know you think you were doing the right thing. And I'm not mad. I'm worried. Because things like 'cosmic consequences' have a habit of biting us in the ass."

"I know they do," Castiel replied. "But I don't regret what I did, even if it costs me my life."

"Don't say that, hon," Angela whispered.

"So, what are you gonna do if you find Kelly and, uh, Lucifer Junior?" Dean inquired. "It is a Nephilim, right?"

"Oh, no. It's more than that. An ordinary Nephilim is one of the most dangerous beings in all of creation." Castiel explained. "But one that's fathered by an archangel, the Devil himself? I… I can't imagine the power."

"But, Cas, at the end of the day, it's a mom and her kid," Sam commented. "I mean, do you—do you think you'll be able to…"

"There was a time when I wouldn't have hesitated," Castiel admitted. "But now, I don't know."

"What are we gonna do?" Dean pursed his lips.

"Let's drink," Castiel held up his beer. "And hope we can find a better way."


	21. Regarding Dean Part 1

_Eureka Springs, Arkansas_

Dean chased after Gideon in the dark forest. He saw that Gideon stopped by a tree and fired a shot at him, causing Gideon to run off again, leaving behind a smear of blood on the tree. Dean followed after him and heard a rustling sound. He carefully headed toward the sound with his gun drawn. He approached Gideon, who was on one knee facing another tree.

"You people," Dean started degradingly. "You never learn, do you? Always trying to run."

Gideon turned around, revealing that he had carved a sigil onto the tree. The sigil began to glow with a bright purple light.

"Dearmad!" Gideon exclaimed.

There was a flash of purple light and Dean was knocked onto the ground unconscious.

~/~\~

That morning, Dean was still lying on the ground and he woke up groggily. "Oh…" he groaned as he started to sit up, brushing leaves out of his face. "Ugh," he looked down and saw a rabbit sitting beside him. "Hey, buddy," he moved the rabbit behind him and stood up. "Mm. Ah. Wow."

Dean looked around, unsure of his surroundings. He pulled out his phone to make a call, only to see that the screen was shattered and his phone didn't work.

"Oh, come on." He groaned.

Dean turned around and saw a walking path not far from where he was standing.

"And I was like, 'Andy, the dog's vegan,'" a woman with a stroller walked by.

"Hey, hey." Dean tried to stop her.

"How could you give him—

"Excuse me," Dean pleaded. "Do you mind if I—

The woman gasped and recoiled from Dean immediately. She reached into her purse and handed Dean some money.

Dean frowned in confusion. "Wh—

"Just don't buy a drink." She interrupted before walking away.

"Huh," Dean muttered as he looked around and walked up to a man who was jogging by. "Hey. Hey, hey, hey. Excuse me," he said to the man, who stopped jogging. "Look, uh, uh, I'm a not a—not a bum, okay?" he stressed. "Just somebody who really needs to use a phone. Do you mind?"

The man hesitated for a moment before handing Dean his phone.

"Great. Thank you." Dean said sincerely before walking a short distance to make the phone call. "Okay," he muttered.

 _"Hello?"_ Sam's voice rang through after a few rings.

"Sam?" Dean asked.

 _"Dude, where the hell have you been?"_ Sam demanded.

Dean looked around the park in confusion. "I'm not really sure about that."

_"You—Well, where are you now?"_

Dean looked around again. "I'm not really sure about that either. I, um…" he trailed off as he noticed a 'Waldo's Waffles' sign. "Oh. Ha-ha. I'm starvin'. How you feel about waffles?"

 _"What?"_ Sam asked in confusion.

"Dumb question. Right." Dean scoffed. "What psycho doesn't love waffles? I mean, they're fluffy. You got the little pockets full of syrup. You just cover 'em in whipped cream. Am I right? Anyway, meet me at Waldo's okay?"

Dean hung up and handed the phone back to the jogger, nodding in thanks.

~/~\~

Dean sat at a booth in the restaurant and the waitress handed him a plate of waffles as Sam, Angela, and Grace walked toward the booth.

"Unca Dean!" Grace ran over and sat next to her uncle.

"Hey, Princess," Dean greeted. "You want some waffles?"

"Yes, please." She smiled.

Dean nodded and cut up some pieces. He looked up as Sam and Angela sat down. "Oh. Hey, did you bring any, um…" he grimaced and motioned to his head.

Sam held up and shook a pill bottle, a smirk on his face.

"Yes." Dean grabbed the pill bottle.

"Sounded like you could use it," Sam muttered.

Dean nodded as he opened the pill bottle. "Oh, man."

"Rough night?" Angela quirked a brow.

"Rough morning." Dean corrected as he took a few pills with his coffee.

"Wh-What happened?" Sam stammered. "I mean, you just went out to get some food."

"I don't know." Dean shrugged.

"What does that mean?" Angela scoffed.

"I-I guess I blacked out. And judging from this hangover, it was epic."

"Well, we tried to call you."

"Um…" Dean pulled out his destroyed phone and held it up.

"Oh," Sam muttered.

Dean tossed the broken phone on the counter. "Not sure how that happened.

"Great," Sam pulled out his own phone. "All right, well, I'll text Mom and Robert, make sure they know to get a hold of me or Angie in case of emergency. And Cas, in case he tracks down Kelly."

Dean's face screwed up in confusion at the mention of Kelly's name. Sam and Angela just looked at him incredulously.

"The mother of Lucifer's love child?" Angela reminded.

"Right. Right." Dean nodded. "Yes, the Devil baby mama drama." He grinned, looking quite amused with himself. "Say that five times fast. Devil baby mama drama."

"All right, Dean, you know, uh, you had a good run," Sam started. "But maybe let's pump the breaks a little bit. I mean, you're not 20 anymore."

Dean just stared at Sam for a moment. "Okay, one, the Rat Pack parties till the day they died. And B, I can still kick your ass."

Dean took another large bite of his waffles and Sam scoffed at him. Dean, with his mouth still full, called for more waffles. As he did so, a group of young women entered. One of them looked at Dean, apparently recognizing him before joining the rest of her group.

"Mm. Got a few people who need some waffles down here!" Dean called out, pointing at Sam and Angela.

"Oh, no." Sam shook his head. "I'm—I'm fine. I'm…"

"You can just take these if you want." Dean pushed a plate toward Sam.

"No, Dean," Angela scoffed lightly. "Look, the morgue opens in, like, 10 minutes."

Dean took a sip of his coffee and again, looked confused. "The morgue?"

"The autopsy results," Sam reminded. "Are you still drunk?"

"I don't think so," Dean muttered.

Sam leaned over and sniffed Dean, who looked slightly offended.

"All right, our—our case?" Sam asked.

"Mm," Dean grunted.

"The dead guy, throat stuffed full of money. Any of this ring a bell?" Angela questioned.

"Right, yes." Dean nodded. "Right. Um… the accountant. Barry Gilman."

"Right," Sam replied.

"Right." Dean turned toward Sam. "Uh, and you think he got his ticket punched by a demon."

"Maybe." Angela shrugged.

"Okay, but when we went over to his place yesterday, we got a whole bunch of jack and a little bit of squat," Dean argued. "There were no hex bags, no EMF, no sulfur, which means no case."

Sam sighed deeply. "Yeah, but if it's not a case, then what is it?"

"I don't know," Dean muttered. "Death by money? You know, maybe the guy got whacked by, uh, some mob dude with an ironic sense of humor."

"All right." Sam chuckled. "Well, Angie and I are gonna go scope out the body. If you wanna spend some more alone time with, uh, your waffles… all right. Have fun."

Sam and Angela got up, and Angela picked up Grace.

Dean wiped his mouth with a napkin and got up. "Fine, hold up."

"Did you pay?" Angela's brows furrowed.

Dean stopped and reached for his wallet. "Oops, no. Right."

"You got it?" Angela asked.

Dean tossed some cash on the counter. "I got it."

"Hi," one of the women from the group approached with a small smile.

Dean turned around with a bewildered look on his face. He looked at Sam and Angela and raised his eyebrows quickly after seeing the girl, and turned back toward her with a smile on his face.

"Hi. And who are you?"

The woman frowned in disbelief, which quickly turned into anger. She smacked Dean across the face and stormed back to her friends.

"Hitting's mean," Grace commented.

"Yes, it is," Angela agreed.

"Yep." Dean nodded. "Epic night." He walked past Sam and out of the restaurant.

~/~\~

Sam and Dean, in their FBI apparel, were standing beside the autopsy table where the body of an older man was. Angela was outside with Grace, due to the fact that her morning sickness was acting up. One of the morgue staff walked into the room and handed a box of evidence to Sam.

"Hey."

"Uh, thank you." Sam nodded at the woman as he took the box.

"Great," Dean smiled tightly. "We'll let you know if we need anything else. Thanks."

The staff member nodded before leaving, closing the door behind her. Dean looked slightly uncomfortable and Sam placed the box on a stand beside the body.

"All right," Sam began looking through the autopsy report. "So, cause of death was suffocation. Officially."

"Okay. We already knew that." Dean shrugged.

"See evidence bag B 1-4," Sam muttered. "All right," he put the report down and opened the box, looking through its contents.

Dean cringed as he looked at the blood-covered objects. "Ugh. Mm."

Sam pulled out a bag full of very bloody money and Dean looked like he was about to vomit.

"Huh." Sam turned and showed the bag to Dean. "Says they pulled all this from his stomach."

Dean was trying to avoid looking at the back while trying not to throw up. "Mm-hmm—Mm. Big breakfast." He looked briefly at the bag and covered his mouth. "Okay."

Sam's brows furrowed slightly and he turned to put the money back in the box. "All right."

Dean continued to make gagging sounds while Sam looked through the box. He found a small bag with a small pink hex bag inside.

"Mm. Ugh." Dea groaned.

"Well, well," Sam took the bag with the hex bag inside out and showed it to Dean. "You were saying about an ironic mobster?"

Dean sighed heavily. "All right, so… a witch force-feeds old Barry here a hex bag and then casts a spell."

"Yeah, a spell that pumps him so full of cash, he dies choking on it." Sam turned and put the bag back in the box.

"Ugh, witches." Dean rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess it's true what they say. Mo' money, mo' problems. Right?"

Dean smiled and chuckled to himself before walking out of the room, and Sam just rolled his eyes.

"I hope you're still drunk."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela left the building and walked toward the Impala. Angela held Grace on her hip and put her in the car seat as they got to the car.

"So, why would somebody want Barry dead?" Dean questioned. "I mean, what, did he screw up a tax return?"

"He's actually more of a money manager." Angela corrected.

"Well, whatever he was, looks like he, uh, certainly made one hell of a… uh…" Dean frowned in thought.

Sam and Angela just looked at Dean, eyebrows raised.

"Enemy?" Sam suggested.

"Enemy." Dean nodded. "Yeah. Those guys."

"Maybe he blew the wrong person's savings." Angela shrugged.

"All right, well, let's check out his clients." Dean fumbled around with his keys as they got into the car.

"Which one?" Sam scoffed. "Barry worked for the richest families in town."

Dean looked through his keys, brows furrowed in confusion. Sam and Angela just watched in disbelief.

"Wow," Sam muttered. "Man, you were serious about epic. It's the square one."

"Yeah. I know." Dean muttered.

"Y—

Dean started the car and looked over his shoulder, ready to back out. He pressed on the gas pedal and ended up driving forward, crashing into two newspaper boxes, where a woman stood looking at a paper. Sam looked up startled and Angela turned to make sure Grace was okay.

"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered.

"Come on!" the woman exclaimed.

"What the…" Sam muttered.

"Gracie, you okay sweetie?" Angela asked.

"Yeah Mommy," Grace replied, kicking her feet.

"Really?!" the woman yelled angrily.

"Sorry!" Sam replied. "Our fault. I…" he turned and looked at Dean in shock. "R for 'reverse,' Dean."

Dean just sat there confused, occasionally looking up at Sam and Angela.

"Listen, man," Sam started. "I-I know we haven't had it easy lately. This thing with the Devil's kid and getting tossed into West Guantanamo makes me wanna crawl into a bottle, too, sometimes, but… dude, you're wrecked." He stressed. "And we got a case to work so get it together, all right?"

"Dean?" Angela frowned when he didn't respond. "Dean?"

Dean looked up and his brows furrowed in confusion. "Who's Dean?"

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace walked into the motel room.

"I told you, I'm fine," Dean assured, a twinge of annoyance in his voice.

"Dean, you forgot your own name," Angela argued.

"For a second," Dean shrugged. "Okay, yeah, that was weird." He walked over to one of the beds and took his jacket off.

Sam closed the door and walked toward Dean. "All right, look, we know we're dealing with a witch, right? Maybe you got hexed."

Dean took off his jacket and tossed it and his gun on the bed. He turned to Sam and Angela in slight amusement.

"Dude… If a witch got a clear shot at me, I would be dead, okay?" Dean scoffed. "I wouldn't be freakin', uh… Dory."

Sam and Angela looked at each other in confusion.

"Dory?" Sam raised his brows.

"Gracie and I watched Finding Nemo." Dean shrugged. "I'm not gonna apologize for loving that fish. Not to you, not to anyone."

"Right. Okay. All right." Sam pursed his lips. "If you're doing so well, name all the members of Bon Jovi."

Dean scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Okay. Uh, we talkin' circa 1983?"

"Sure." Sam nodded.

"Done. We got Bon Jovi," Dean paused, unable to remember the rest of the band members. "Whatever. This is stupid. I'm fine. Okay?" he turned and walked back toward the bed. "I feel great. Look, uh…" he turned and picked up the gun. "This is a gun," he dropped the gun and pointed to his coat. "This is a coat." He shrugged before walking over to the lamp. "This is a… a… a… light stick."

Angela frowned. "A light st—

"Tha's a lamp, Unca Dean." Grace giggled.

Sam turned to the desk and pulled out a sticky note pad and scrawled something on it. "All right. We're gonna get you some help."

"Look, we can figure this out, okay? Don't go callin' Mom or Cas with this." Dean sighed heavily.

Sam pulled off the sticky note and walked over to the lamp, putting the sticky note on it. "Fie, but until you get better…"

Dean read the note and snapped his fingers. "Lamp. Right. So close."

~/~\~

Angela sat on one of the motel beds and held her phone up to her ear as it rang.

 _"I'm a wee bit occupied at the moment,"_ Rowena's voice rang through.

"Yeah, well, we need your help, Rowena," Angela replied.

 _"Oh, really?"_ Rowena asked.

"Come on, Angie." Dean groaned. "Rowena? I mean…" he trailed off as he inspected the mini-fridge.

"Daddy, I don't wanna take a nap!" Grace stomped her foot.

"Grace," Sam sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You have to take a nap."

Angela ran a hand over her face. "Yes. Really."

"Hey?" Dean called out and Angela turned her head to look at him. "Tiny vodkas. Score."

 _"Am I saved to your contacts now?"_ Rowena asked cheerfully. _"Tell me. Have I got my own ringtone, dearie?"_

Angela rolled her eyes dramatically. "This is serious. Look, we think Dean's been hexed, okay? He—he's been forgetting things."

"Daddy I'm not tired!" Grace pouted.

 _"Maybe he's just drunk,"_ Rowena suggested.

"He's not drunk." Angela huffed.

Dean picked up the ice bucket and pointed inside it. "We need ice."

Dean continued pointing at the bucket and Sam was trying to calm Grace down. Angela just shook her head and sighed deeply.

 _"We could do a memory spell,"_ Rowena suggested. _"But did his hair fall out? His body too?"_

Angela's brows furrowed. "What?"

 _"From the neck down, is he smooth like a Ken doll?"_ Rowena questioned.

Angela wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I don't know. Uh, and I'm not checking either."

 _"Rules out a mnemonic curse,"_ Rowena replied. _"The obliviate spell wipes the memory clean over time, but it's intricate magic. I…"_

"How do we break it?" Angela cut her off.

_"Theoretically? Kill the witch."_

"Got it," Angela replied before hanging up the phone.

Angela turned to talk to Dean and frowned when she saw that he was gone. "Sammy… where's Dean?"

Sam looked up from where he was trying to calm Grace down. "Crap. Dean? Dean!"

Sam picked Grace up before he and Angela ran out of the motel room to look for Dean.

"Dean!" Angela yelled as they ran up to the second level. "Dean?"

They walked around a corner and found Dean trying to get into another room with the ice bucket tucked under his arm.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Sam asked in exasperation.

Dean turned to look at Sam and Angela. "Getting ice. What are you doing?"

"That's not our room," Angela replied.

Dean looked around confused and then shrugged as he walked away. "All these dumps look the same." He muttered as they started walking back down to their room. "So, this spell, I'm stuck in some sort of 'Memento' crap?"

"Right." Angela nodded. "The fix sounds fairly simple. You just find the witch who did it and kill it."

"Oh, Halle-freakin'-lujah." Dean muttered.

"We think you got hexed last night," Sam commented.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We need to retrace your steps." Sam suggested as they stopped just outside their room. "All right, think. What's the last thing you remember you did?"

Dean thought for a moment and then tapped the ice bucket. "Uh… I got some ice."

~/~\~

Sam and Dean were looking around Barry Gilman's office while Angela stayed back at the motel with Grace after finally getting her to take a nap.

"Okay," Dean started. "From yesterday, the last thing I kinda sorta remember is us being here in um…" he snapped his fingers to try and remember as he wandered over to the desk. "…guy's office. Uh…"

Sam was looking through the shelves in front of the desk. "Barry Gilman."

"Yes." Dean nodded. "And… we were here and we were, uh, we were looking for leads." He opened a red lacquered box on the desk and took out one of the cigars. "Yeah," Dean chuckled as he pocketed the cigar. "Douche tax."

Sam looked over and pursed his lips. "Yeah, you did that yesterday, too. All right, come here."

Sam walked over to a wall with pictures hung on it and Dean joined him.

"Check these out. Do these shake anything lose, these pictures?" Sam quirked a brow.

Dean looked at the pictures, pausing at one of them before shaking his head. "No. None of them."

"Okay, think hard. What happened next?" Sam asked. "Angie and I went to hit the lore. You went out for a burger. So…" he looked hopefully at Dean.

"So…" Dean huffed in frustration. "What do you want me to say? I-I ate 'em?"

"Okay, okay. You know what? It's not a big town." Sam shrugged. "How many burger joints can there be? Come on."

~/~\~

Sam and Dean walked into the pub and looked around.

"All right, anything?"

Dean shook his head in frustration. "No. I mean, this is the third place we've been to. I-I… No. It's…" he turned to walk out again, but stopped when he saw the woman from the waffle place. "Wait. It's—It's her from, uh, from the waffles."

Sam grabbed Dean's arm and they walked toward the woman. "All right, come on."

The woman looked up and scoffed, seemingly unimpressed to see them. She was currently busy getting drinks from the bar.

"Excuse me," Sam started.

"Hey." Dean smiled.

"Hi."

"If you're gonna apologize, you better make it quick." The woman told Dean.

"Me apologize?" he asked indignantly. "Uh, you smacked me."

"You were being a dick," she shrugged. "We're even."

"Even for what?" Sam questioned.

"That's none of your—who are you?" she scoffed before walking away with the drinks.

Sam and Dean followed after her quickly.

"Okay, look, whatever happened with us, um, I'm sorry." Dean apologized. "Okay? See, here's the deal. We're, um, we're…"

"We're FBI." Sam took out his badge. "Uh, Agents Moon and Entwistle."

The woman turned to look at them, brows raised skeptically. "FBI?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

The woman looked right at Dean, who wasn't looking at her. "Last night, you told me your name was Springsteen." She turned and started walking away. "Like the boss."

"Uh, yeah, see, sometimes, we have to lie in order to, uh, to… protect our cover." Dean stammered as they followed after her.

"No way." She rolled her eyes as she served another table with their drinks.

"Okay, listen, this is actually sensitive," Sam stressed. "We—we think my partner may have been roofied."

The woman stopped and turned around. "Seriously."

"Seriously?" Dean muttered as the woman kept walking.

"If you can tell us anything about what happened that night, it would be a big help," Sam told the woman sincerely.

"Sure. I…" she walked over to a table by the mechanical bull and set her tray down.

"Great." Sam sighed in relief.

"He ordered burgers to go," she recalled. "It was gonna be a minute. We were slammed. Then you knocked back… four shots of tequila?" she looked at Dean. "Put some 'sick jams' on the juke, and then you hit the bull."

Sam's brows shot up in surprise. "He what?"

"I what?" Dean parroted.

The woman turned to look at the mechanical bull and the boys followed her gaze.

"Oh, yeah, you had the hots for Larry as soon as you walked in here."

"He…" Sam looked at his brother. "You rode Larry?"

Dean paused for a moment and looked at the woman. "Was I good?"

"You were…" she looked him over, a smirk forming on her lips. "Amazing."

Dean smirked, obviously pleased with himself. "Hmm."

Sam rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Anyway," the woman cleared her throat. "We got to talking, and… you know. We blew off some steam."

Dean looked confused for a moment, but grinned once he realized what she meant. "Ah."

"Did you see him talk with anyone else?" Sam questioned.

"My bartender said she saw him run out of here like his pants caught fire." The woman answered. "We were supposed to meet up after close-up, but you never showed…" she trailed off as her face contorted in concern. "Oh. Poor thing. You were all roofied up. I didn't… I am so sorry if I took advantage of you."

Dean stifled a grin as Sam looked around the bar.

"It's okay," Dean lightly touched her arm.

"Does this place have security cameras?" Sam inquired.

"Yeah." The woman nodded.

A few moments later, the boys were set up at a table with a laptop so that they could look through the footage and the waitress got back to work. Dean looked at her as she walked by and turned back around.

"First action in I don't know how long, and it's like it never even happened," Dean grumbled. "Figures."

"Ha. See, now that's comedy." Sam smirked.

"Okay, whoa," Dean pointed at the screen. "There I am."

"Yeah."

Dean leaned closer to the screen. "Wait, wait, wait."

Sam's brows creased in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to read my lips," Dean replied. "Now salsa you mittens."

"You can't read lips." Sam realized.

Dean leaned back and shook his head. "I can't read lips."

The man in the video suddenly used magic to throw Dean back against the building.

"You see that?" Dean's eyes widened.

"Yeah, of course. I think we got our witch." Sam muttered. "What, you don't remember any of this?"

"It's like watching myself on Netflix," Dean replied in awe.

Sam paused the video to get a better look at the man Dean was following. "That guy look familiar to you? That jacket?" he asked, earning a shrug from Dean. "Never mind. Stupid question. I think Barry had a picture of him in his office. It might be how you recognized him last night."

They continued watching the footage and saw Dean fire a shot at the man. Dean's eyes widened in surprise.

"And I take a shot! I know how to shoot a gun?"

~/~\~

The brothers walked out of the bar's back door to the area where Dean had been on the security tape. Sam walked around with a flashlight.

"All right," Sam started. "So… you crashed there. Uh… you ran that way. Uh, shot, uh… here." He bent down and picked up a bullet casing. "Yep. Witch-killing bullet."

Dean blinked a few times as his vision blurred and he walked closer to Sam. "Wait. Wait, wait, wait. There are witches?"

While Dean seemed quite excited by the prospect, Sam became even more concerned and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Dean… witches are real." Sam replied. "Vampires, werewolves, witches, they're all real. And we kill them."

Dean took a moment to process the information before a grin spread across his face. "Awesome. That's awesome."

Sam nodded in satisfaction. "Right. Right. Come on."

Sam headed into the woods following the path Dean took before. Dean looked in his jacket pocket and was happily surprised to find a flashlight.

"Ah."

Dean turned on the flashlight and followed Sam into the woods, asking questions along the way.

"Okay, so, wait. So—so djinns don't grant wishes, and sirens aren't all hot chicks?" Dean asked in shock.

"Yeah. Sorry to break it to you."

"Huh," Dean muttered.

They wandered through the woods and Sam scoffed at the way the conversation was going.

"This is crazy," he shook his head.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Me giving you 'the talk.'" Sam replied. "You know how many times we've had to tell some civilian that monsters are real?"

"Yeah, but monsters are real. And we're the guys that kill 'em, man." Dean gushed. "I mean, come on. Best job ever."

"Yeah," Sam replied sarcastically. "If you like greasy diner food, crappy motel rooms, and more than one Apocalypse."

"I don't know." Dean shrugged. "We kinda sound like heroes to me."

As they walked, they came upon a tree that had a bloody handprint and a bullet hole in it.

"Hey." Sam pointed to the tree.

Dean touched the bullet hold and gasped lightly. "Whoa."

Suddenly, he turned around and smacked Sam on the shoulder.

"And our best friend's an angel!" Dean exclaimed. "What?!"

Sam turned around in concern. "We just gotta get you cured."

"Yeah. Okay." Dean followed Sam.

The brothers came up to another tree with strange markings on it and they stopped to get a closer look.

"Hey."

"Whoa," Dean muttered. "Okay, now, these? Freaky."

Dean laughed, but Sam was distracted by the markings.

"No, they're just, uh, glyphs. Witches use them in spells, but I've actually never seen anything like this before." Sam replied as he snapped a picture. "Maybe Rowena will recognize 'em."

"Maybe." Dean agreed. "Who's Rowena? That's a weird name," he muttered as he wandered a bit. "S-S-Sam! Sam!"

Sam immediately came over to where Dean was standing.

"What?"

Dean looked up at Sam and pointed down at the ground. "Is that a dead guy?"

"Yeah. I think that's our witch." Sam frowned.

"Cool." Dean breathed out, slightly scared and excited about seeing a dead body.

"No, Dean. Killing the witch was supposed to be the cure." Sam reminded. "So, if he's already dead, then why aren't you… you?"

Dean frowned in realization. "Not cool. Okay, what now?"

"Now we get out of here," Sam answered. "Let's go. Come on."

"Okay." Dean nodded, following Sam out of the woods.


	22. Regarding Dean Part 2

Sam and Angela sat at the table in the motel room, looking at a picture of Gideon's dead body. Dean leaned against the wall and looked over their shoulders in fascination. Meanwhile, Grace was sleeping peacefully on one of the motel beds.

"Is that a dead guy?" Dean asked curiously.

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"Whoa," Dean murmured. "Never seen a dead guy before."

Sam shook his head slightly and laughed. "Uh, yeah, you have. Trust me."

"Hmm." Dean hummed.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and the hunters turned to look at it. Dean shrugged and walked toward the door.

"Hey!" Angela stood up and pulled out her gun, Sam following suit. "No, D-Dean, wait a second."

Sam and Angela aimed their guns at the door as Dean opened it to reveal Rowena standing there. She stepped through the door and into the room.

"Who are you?" Dean asked curiously.

Rowena turned toward Sam and Angela. "Spell's progressed, I see." She noted before walking past Dean.

"You…" Dean closed the door and walked back to the center of the room.

"We wanted intel, Rowena." Angela shook her head. "Not a house call."

Rowena turned away from the couple to assess the spell that's been cast on Dean. "Oh, I have a feeling you'll come to thank me."

Dean reached out and touched Rowena's hair, a smile on his face. "Mm, your hair, it's all so bouncy."

Rowena laughed and beamed widely at Dean. "Why, thank you."

"Mm-hmm." Dean nodded.

Rowena turned her head and pouted at Sam and Angela. "Do we _have_ to fix him?"

"Rowena." Sam deadpanned.

"Samuel," Rowena turned back to Dean to continued assessing him. "Those glyphs you found are an archaic form of Celtic. Ogham Chraobh. The Druids used it in their rituals, calling it the 'Language of the Trees.'"

"Wait," Dean looked at Sam and Angela. "Wait. Now the trees are talkin'?"

Sam, Angela, and Rowena looked up at Dean, and Sam seemed a bit startled. Rowena moved around behind Dean.

"Uh, Dean, hon, do you remember HBO?" Angela asked.

Dean's brows furrowed in confusion. "Um…"

"Cinemax?" Sam asked.

Dean's face cleared and he grinned. "Skinemax."

Angela pursed her lips. "Sure," she grabbed him by the shoulder and guided him to sit on the empty motel bed. "Great. All right, come here. We're just gonna…"

"Oh," Dean muttered.

"We're gonna sit you down right here. And, uh, yeah, go ahead. Um…"

Dean looked around with a smirk on his face. "This like live Skinemax, or…"

Angela grabbed the TV remote and turned on Scooby-Doo. Dean immediately perked up with a smile on his face.

"Hey!"

"Perfect." Angela smiled. "Stay here." She instructed as she motioned for Sam and Rowena to follow her a few feet away. "Come here."

"There's only one family of witches versed in this kind of magic," Rowena commented. "I thought them all dead for years, but when I saw those glyphs…"

Sam showed Rowena the photo of Gideon's. body. "Is this one of 'em?"

"Gideon Loughlin," Rowena said grimly.

Sam turned to look at her, hearing the tone of her voice. "Did you know him?"

"A bit." Rowena nodded.

"All right, tell us about this family," Sam replied.

"A hundred years ago," Rowena started. "The Loughlins came over from the Old World and turned a small town on the Mississippi Delta into their own personal fiefdom. Their children—Gideon, Boyd, and Catrina were like three rotten little peas in a pod. The family possessed a powerful spell book, a tome of Druidic magic called the Black Grimoire." She explained in depth. "Witches came from around the world to live with them and study its secrets… for a price."

"So, what happened to them?" Angela inquired.

"Hunters happened," Rowena answered. "Of course, I'd heard the rumors one or two survived, stealing away with their book, but I-I dismissed them as gossip."

Dean started laughing at the TV, and Angela, Sam, and Rowena turned to look at him. He saw them looking at him and turned back to the TV to keep watching.

"With Gideon dead," Rowena continued. "If you want to break the curse on Dean, we need to find that book."

Sam looked up at Rowena, clearly surprised. "Wait a second, you can't break it?"

Rowena looked slightly insulted and made a face. "Oh, of course I could, but witchcraft this complex would take time. More time than Dean's got. He's already begun to forget himself, everyone he's ever known, ever loved. Even you." She explained. "Soon he'll forget how to speak, how to swallow, and then… Dean Winchester's going to die."

Dean looked at them, slightly concern. "Sucks for that guy."

Rowena, Angela, and Sam turned to look at Dean.

Dean shook his head a bit. "Huh."

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Dean were sitting in the motel bathroom. They all seemed worried about the spell's progression.

"So, after everything…" Dean trailed off. "That's it. This is what nails me."

"No," Sam replied firmly. "No, no, Dean, i-it…" he took a deep breath. "It's not gonna happen, all right?"

"Well, you both just told me my whole life story." Dean's voice wavered in fear. "And I gotta be honest, I… I can feel it, slipping out of my head. I mean, ganking monsters is one thing. But this…" he covered his face with his hand.

"You know, uh, we're gonna, um… hon, we'll figure it out," Angela assured. "All right? We will."

Sam put his hand on Dean's shoulder, then he and Angela stood up. They walked out of the bathroom and into the main room where Rowena was waiting for them.

"How is he?" she asked.

Sam stared at her and then walked past her. "Like you care."

Rowena frowned in offense. "Oh."

Sam walked over and sat on the empty motel bed. Angela sat next to her husband pulled him into her embrace.

"You know," Sam whispered. "I've seen my brother die, but watching him become… not him… This might actually be worse."

~/~\~

Dean stood at the sink and splashed cold water onto his face. He looked intently into the mirror at his reflection.

"Okay." He whispered to himself. "My name is Dean Winchester. Sam is my brother, Angie is my sister-in-law, and Grace is my niece. Uh, Mary Winchester is my mom. And Cast… Cas is my best friend."

Dean sighed heavily and looked unsure about everything he had just said.

~/~\~

"We need to find that grimoire," Rowena stressed.

Angela looked up at Rowena and scoffed. "Of course. Of course. That's your angle isn't it?"

Rowena looked at Angela as though she didn't know what she meant. "Oh?"

"Oh, come on Rowena," Sam muttered. "A powerful spell book shows up and all of a sudden, you're here to help? Altruism isn't exactly your style."

Rowena looked resigned and gave a small smile. "True. Also, it never hurts to have a Winchester owe you one."

~/~\~

"My name is Dean Wi—Winchester," he stammered.

He looked down in fear as he realized that he could barely remember his own name. He swallowed nervously and looked up to try again.

"My name is—my name is…"

The fear on his face was clear as day and he shook his head, tears in his eyes.

"My… My name is—is…"

Dean stared into the mirror and a tear slipped down his cheek.

~/~\~

Sam pulled away from Angela's embrace and stood up to grab his coat. "Gideon Loughlin's address was in his accountant's file. If the book is there, I'll find it."

Rowena smiled and she started to follow him. "Of course, you'll need me there to help—

"No," Angela stood up. "You and I are staying here with Dean."

Rowena frowned, clearly upset. "I most certainly am not!"

"Angie's right," Sam replied. "He can't come with me, and we're not leaving him alone with you."

Rowena calmed herself down and forced a small smile. "The Black Grimoire's written in ancient Druid. How do you propose to find a proper spell without me there to—

"Well, you said a few of the Loughlin's survived, right?" Sam asked.

"That was a rumor." Rowena reminded. "So, you expect one of them to—to what? Translate their ancient super-secret family spellbook for you? You just killed their brother. They'd sooner use your skin as an outfit."

Sam nodded his head and pulled out his gun. "They can try."

Angela walked over and stood on her toes to kiss Sam softly. "You stay safe, okay? I know you don't want me actively fighting because of the baby and all, but please call me if you need backup. I love you."

"I love you, too." Sam smiled softly, kissing her forehead.

Sam left the motel room and Rowena just rolled her eyes in annoyance.

~/~\~

Dean continued staring at his reflection, his eyes wide with terror.

"My… My…" he frowned. "I don't know."

~/~\~

Dean stood restlessly inside of a circle while Rowena gathered things, apparently getting ready to do a spell. Dean kept moving items around, which was clearly annoying Rowena. Meanwhile, Angela was making Grace a PB&J sandwich.

"Stop touching everything." Rowena took a small bottle from Dean.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Dean spun around in a circle and when he faced the table again, he grabbed the same bottle. Rowena snatched it from him again and handed him a voodoo doll and some pins to play with while she did her spell work.

"Ugh. Here. Play with this, and I'll tell you a story." Rowena told Dean.

Dean took the doll and turned away from her. "Okay."

"Once," Rowena started. "A beautiful witch was, again, run out of her homeland by those pompous, self-righteous, murderous hooligans. You know them as the British Men of Letters."

Dean looked over at her and nodded slightly before turning back to the doll. "Hmm."

"She sought refuge with a family of witches. All she wanted was a roof over her head and a safe place to hone her magic. Yet they threw her out like… like she was common trash. Said she wasn't up to snuff."

Dean turned to look at Rowena again. "Oh, these witches sound like dicks. I think you got plenty of snuff."

Rowena seemed surprised by his statement and laughed. She cautiously glanced at Angela, who was preoccupied with Grace. "You can really remember nothing, can you?" she asked Dean. "What a gift not to recall the things you've done."

The witch looked away from Dean and back down to the table. Dean looked back over at her, brows creased together in confusion.

"What have I done?"

Rowena stopped and looked back up at Dean. "Oh, you're a killer, Dean Winchester."

~/~\~

Outside of the Loughlin's large house, there was a black SUV and a man dressed in a simple suit. The man was drinking something out of a flask when Sam came up behind him, gun cocked. The man raised his hands immediately.

"Who's inside?" Sam demanded.

~/~\~

Dean frowned deeply at Rowena. "Wait, I… I kill people?"

"Scores," Rowena answered.

~/~\~

Sam shot the man and he fell to the ground, dead, and the flask fell out of his hand.

~/~\~

"But… But… though you may be a stubborn pain in the arse with the manners of a Neanderthal and the dining habits of a toddler," Rowena continued. "Everything you've done, you've done…" she stopped and made a disgusted face behind Dean's back. "For the greater good."

"Oh, and that's supposed to make it okay?" Dean questioned.

"Dean," Angela walked over so that she was standing in front of him. "You are a good man, I promise you that. You're selfless, you're a good brother, and you are a great uncle."

"She's right," Rowena admitted. "You help those other than yourself. But me, I've done horrible things, and I told myself it was fine. It was the price of power. And power's what matters, right?" she shrugged, almost trying to convince herself. "Then I met God and his sister," she noted, earning a wide-eyed and disbelieving look from Dean. "The two most powerful beings in the universe, wasting it on squabbling with each other. I thought, if—if they can't be happy, or at least satisfied, how can there be any hope for me?"

Dean looked at the witch, baffled. "Why are you telling me this?"

Rowena smiled at him. "Because I know you won't remember."

She tapped him on the nose with her finger. Suddenly, Angela's phone rang on the table and she walked over to answer it.

"Hey baby," Angela greeted as she put the phone on speaker. "You're in?"

~/~\~

Sam walked quietly through the front door and his phone was on speaker. "Shh," he whispered. "Yeah, I'm in. All right. As soon as I get the translation, Rowena casts the spell."

Sam tucked his phone into his jacket pocket and started heading up the stairs. He slowly opened the door and walked closer to Catrina with his gun drawn.

"This gun is full of witch-killing bullets," he warned. "So, why don't you go to your grimoire and tell me how to break the memory spell."

Catrina turned to look at Sam, seeming unsurprised that he was there. "Boyd wanted to go after you, but I said, 'Why bother?' You're hunters. You'll hunt us down, right at our doorsteps. Hot and… fresh like pizza."

"I'm not asking you again," Sam replied firmly.

Boyd walked quietly into the room behind Sam. "Abi," he chanted, causing Sam to be thrown against a bookshelf.

Catrine started chanting a spell and her butterflies began to flutter their wings and a high-pitched noise could be heard, causing Sam to stop trying to get up and instead cover his ears.

"Age nunc intellectum," Catrina chanted. "Age nunc intellectum atque voluntatem omnem meam."

Catrina look satisfied with herself and laughed as Sam screamed in pain.

 _"Sam?!"_ Dean's voice sounded from the phone.

 _"Sammy!"_ Angela's voice sounded from the speaker.

"Aah!" Sam yelled in pain.

~/~\~

Dean woke up groggily in the passenger seat of the Impala. "Hmm?"

He blinked a few times and looked around the car. Grace was in the back seat sleeping and Dean noticed a note stuck to the windshield in front of him. He snatched the note down and read it.

"Your brother's been kidnapped by a witch. Angie helped me find your stupid car and left you here." Dean read quietly. "Stupid?"

Dean looked around the car and was about to get out when he saw another note stuck to the passenger side window.

"Stay." He read, making a face as he leaned back into the seat.

~/~\~

Sam, apparently unconscious, was tied to a chair in the same room as Gideon's body. Boyd was currently checking Sam's bonds.

"Boyd, you promised," Catrina said as she picked up an old-looking box and walked back over to the table. "Without Gideon, we are not a family."

Boyd looked up at Catrina sternly. "Well, you should've thought of that before you went behind his back and pinata'd the accountant."

Catrina looked over at Boyd and scoffed.

"Gideon told you to let it go," he reminded.

Catrina turned back to the box, which she had set down on the same table that Gideon's body was on. "And let us be cheated by some sniveling, weak human nothing?"

Boyd finished with Sam and walked over to his sister. "You got our brother killed."

"Mm. Well, we…" she opened the box and revealed a black knife. "Can bring him back."

Suddenly, they heard the door close and they both turned at the sound. Catrina seemed annoyed at the interruption and she handed the knife to Boyd.

"Do it. Please. For me?" Catrina gave him a small smile.

Boyd sighed heavily and resignedly took the knife from her. She left the room to go down to the door, brushing her hand against Gideon's head on the way. Sam quickly looked up and put his head back down as Boyd turned to face him with the knife in hand.

~/~\~

Rowena and Angela stood at the foyer and looked up as they saw Catrina coming down the stairs.

"Catrina Loughlin," Rowena greeted. "The years have not been kind."

Catrina scrunched her face up, almost as if she was disgusted to see them. "Who are you?"

"Rowena." The redheaded witch replied, earning no response. "Rowena MacLeod?"

"Oh, and I'm Angela Winchester. You have my husband."

~/~\~

Sam looked up as Boyd began to work on the spell to bring Gideon back. "You don't want to do this."

Boyd cut his palm with the black knife and seemed unsurprised that Sam was awake. "Well, well, well. Look who's awake." He said as he squeezed the blood from his palm into a bowl.

"Okay," Sam started. "So, whatever your sister has planned, you don't have to do it."

Boyd looked up at Sam. "You mean, swapping your soul for him?"

Sam's eyes widened slightly in shock at that information. Boyd just smiled slightly and looked back down at Gideon.

"I'm afraid I do," Gideon drew a glyph on Gideon's forehead in blood.

Sam's brows creased together in concern and he started working to loosen the ropes that tied his hands together.

~/~\~

"Raggedy Ann," Catrina smirked as she recognized Rowena.

"Excuse me?" the redhead asked indignantly.

"I remember you," Catrina started walking down the stairs. "A rag doll all huddled up on our doorstep. I swore I could see the fleas nibbling away at whatever the hell was left of that dirty little body of yours. And still… still, you thought you were worthy of our magic."

Rowena and Angela watched Catrina come down the stairs.

"And when we disagreed… Oh… how you begged," Catrina taunted. "How you threw yourself down and… offered yourself to each of us."

Rowena closed her eyes, trying to contain her anger, and Catrina just looked at her in disgust.

"Boyd almost took you up on it, too." Catrina laughed. "But I told him, it would be cleaner with the pigs." She sneered.

"You know what they say?" Rowena clenched her jaw.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing heals old wounds like opening fresh ones."

"Hmm." Catrina hummed.

Rowena pulled her hand out of her jacket pocket and hurled magic at Catrina, causing her to go flying into a mirror hanging behind her, and glass shards littered the ground.

"Oh!" Catrina yelled in pain.

~/~\~

Dean looked again at the sticky note that said, 'STAY,' took it down, and decided to ignore it. He got out of the Impala and opened the trunk, where he found another note that said 'OPEN ME.' He opened the hidden compartment in the trunk and looked at all the weapons.

"Oh," he laughed in awe as his gaze immediately fell on a very large gun.

Dean's face fell visibly as he read the note on the gun that said, 'NO,' and he kept looking. He noticed another note that said, 'WITCH-KILLING BULLETS' and one last note on his signature gun that said, 'THIS GUN.'

~/~\~

Catrina, still on the floor, pinned Rowena and Angela to the wall. She started to pull herself up off the ground while she sang tauntingly.

"I'm just a little girl, I'm Raggedy Ann. Oh, Raggedy Ann. Falling apart at the seams," she picked up a shard of glass and threw at Rowena, landing it close to her face. "I've never been very good at darts. Do over!" she clapped her hands excitedly and looked for another glass shard. "Just a little girl, Raggedy Ann. Oh, Raggedy Ann."

Catrina bent down and picked up a large shard of glass. She stood up to inspect it and was about to throw it toward Rowena and Angela when she heard the sound of a gun cocking. Catrina turned and saw Dean standing there with a gun pointed at her.

"A gun?" she laughed. "You really think that's gonna work on a…"

Dean held up the note that said, 'WITCH-KILLING BULLETS.' Catrina scoffed and turned away. Dean shot her immediately and she went down, causing Rowena and Angela to fall to the floor once the spell was broken.

~/~\~

Sam and Boyd were both startled by the gunshot. Sam managed to get his hands free and threw himself at Boyd, knocking the knife from his hand. He punched Boyd harshly, knocking him further away, and Sam picked up the knife. However, using magic, Boyd made the knife extremely hot and Sam dropped it quickly.

"Aah," Sam grunted in pain.

Boyd took the chance to run out of the room and down the stairs, Sam hot on his heels. Dean saw them coming down the stairs and aimed his gun at them. Boyd froze on the landing while Sam froze a few steps up. Dean was confused as to who he should shoot and aimed the gun at Sam.

"No, no, no. Brother." Sam pointed to himself. "Witch," he pointed at Boyd.

Dean nodded and shot Boyd, who crumpled onto the floor and Sam sighed in relief. Dean, looking quite proud of himself, gave Sam a thumbs-up.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were waiting impatiently in the foyer, and Angela held Grace, having grabbed her from the car. Suddenly, there was a flash of purple light at the top of the stairs and Rowena could be heard saying a spell. After a moment, Rowena and Dean emerged from the room and started walking down the stairs.

"Hey. Is that it? Is—is it done?" Sam asked anxiously.

"Who's this hippie?" Dean asked.

Sam looked horrified and Angela's face visibly fell. After a few moments, Dean and Rowena broke out in laughter.

"Look at their faces," Dean laughed. "Oh! Kind of like the time when I ate all your Halloween candy, Sammy. You remember that? Classic?"

"Not funny." Sam scoffed, a half-smile on his face.

~/~\~

Rowena carried her back to a waiting cab from the motel while the boys, Angela, and Grace followed behind the witch.

"I can't believe you called Rowena." Dean looked over at Angela.

"I can't believe you rode Larry." Angela retorted with a smirk on her face.

"Hey. I was awesome on that bull. I was like a god."

Rowena stood at the open door to the cab and turned to face the hunters. "Now, should you experience any odd memories from when you were hexed, conversations, you let me know?"

Dean stared at Rowena knowingly. "It's blank, mostly. Really."

Rowena nodded in satisfaction and got into the cab, closing the door. Sam went up to the open window of the cab.

"Oh, just a second."

"If you want to thank me, you can send a wee gift basket," Rowena suggested.

"The book," Sam demanded.

Rowena stared at Sam for a moment, then sighed deeply and reached over for the book, and handed it to Sam. "You're no fun."

"We owe you one," Sam replied. "Small one."

The cab drove away and Sam tucked the book under his arm. Dean, Angela, and Grave walked up beside Sam and they watched the cab speed away.

"So, how you holding up after the spell?" Sam inquired.

"That thing kicked my ass," Dean admitted.

"Tha's a bad word Unca Dean." Grace reprimanded as they walked toward the Impala.

"Sorry, Princess." Dean chuckled.

"You know," Sam cleared his throat. "I gotta be honest. I was actually, uh, a little jealous at first."

Dean's brows furrowed. "Of what? The curse that nearly killed me?"

"No, just, you know… some of the things we've done, we've had this weight for… forever." Sam shrugged. "And seeing it gone, uh, you looked happy."

"Huh. Well, look, was it nice to drop our baggage? Yeah, maybe. Hell, probably." Dean replied. "But it wasn't just the crap that got lost. "I mean, it was everything. It was us, it was what we do, you know? All of it. So… that's what being happy looks like? I think I'll pass."

Dean took out his keys and had them in his hands as he placed his hands on the roof of the car. Sam looked at him for a moment.

"It's the, uh, the shiny one that's—

Dean rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Get in the car."


	23. Stuck in the Middle (With You) Part 1

_5:20 PM_

Angela, Dean, Sam, Castiel, Robert, Mary, and Wally sat at a table in Raul's Diner and were ordering dinner. On the way to meet everyone there, Sam, Angela, and Dean had dropped Grace off at Jody's place.

"Mandy," Dean greeted the pretty waitress. "That short for Amanda?"

"Duh." She side-eyed him.

"Yeah, I'll—I'll go with the cheeseburger," Dean muttered.

"Oh, yeah." Wally nodded.

"Hey, what's the, uh, Wi-Fi password here?" San asked curiously.

"Extra cheese," Mandy answered as she scribbled on her notepad.

"No, no. Just, uh, as it is, is fine." Dean told her after taking a sip from his coffee.

"That's the password. 'Extra Cheese.'" Mandy corrected.

"You know what, that sounds good." Wally closed his menu. "I'm gonna change mine to a cheeseburger as well. Extra cheese. I wanna carbo-load."

"Cheese isn't a carb," Mandy replied.

"Cheese isn't a carbohydrate," Castiel said simultaneously.

"Mm, well." Wally shrugged.

Mandy smiled at Castiel, confusing the angel.

"Steak and eggs. Bloody." Mary ordered.

"And how 'bout you, handsome?" Mandy looked at Castiel.

"What?" Wally's brows furrowed.

"Um, uh," Castiel stammered as he studied the menu. "Uh, Sunrise Special, please."

Mandy smiled brightly. "Nice."

Wally watched Mandy leave and Angela nudged Castiel with her elbow.

"Look at you, Cas," Angela smirked.

Dean leaned across the table, a smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, dude, she is into you."

"Mm-hmm." Wally agreed.

"Dean…" Mary warned.

"No, this is good," Dean assured. "We've been looking for teachable moments. This…" He clicked his tongue.

Suddenly, Robert looked down at his phone as it vibrated.

"Everything okay, Dad?" Angela inquired.

"Yeah, just a hunter, needs some help," Robert muttered.

"Another one?" Dean frowned.

"Can't have too many friends in this line of work." Robert shrugged.

"Okay…"

"The internet here sucks," Sam complained. "I downloaded all the bunker's files to a new archive, but we're not getting any signal, so I'm j—

Dean made snoring noises and pretended to be asleep. "Nobody cares. Cas, here's the thing you need to know about waitresses, okay? They get hit on all day long, so you gotta bring you're A-game. But, upside? They _always_ smell like food."

Wally nodded along with Dean. "They always smell like food."

"Okay," Mary sighed.

"Is that _really_ an upside?" Sam scoffed. "They smell like food?"

"Okay—okay…"

"Right?" Dean nodded at Wally. "It's great."

"Why would you want them to smell like food? I don't want Angie to smell like food."

Mary banged the table, causing everyone to go silent. "Hey. Screens down, eyes up, shut up."

"Sorry, Mom," Sam muttered sheepishly.

"Sorry." Wally apologized.

"Okay, here's what we know," Mary started. "Our target keeps a tight schedule. He leaves every day at 8:00 p.m. and gets back exactly at 8:45."

"What's he doing?" Angela asked.

"Night fishing," Wally answered.

Castiel frowned in confusion. "Wait a minute, you called us to—to kill a demon that likes to fish?"

"Yes, I did. Look, guys. This is all new to me, all right? You got a rugaru problem, hey, I'm your guy." Wally explained. "But demons? Hell. Look, I was just passing through and I heard about some cattle mutilations."

"Classic demon sign," Sam noted.

"I started to dig. A lot of virgins go missing around here, too."

"Classic _horny_ demon sign," Dean muttered.

"Which is why Wally called us, asking for help," Robert replied. "So, are we all clear on the plan?"

Angela, Sam, Dean, and Wally all nodded in response.

"Incoming." Sam cleared his throat.

Mandy leaned between Mary and Castiel to refill a coffee cup, and Castiel leaned over to sniff her shoulder.

"Hey, Mandy. Question for you." Dean started. "My shy but devastatingly handsome friend here was, uh, just wondering, when do you get off?"

"Whenever I can." Mandy smiled at Castiel.

"Hey-o!" Dean yelled.

"Zing!" Wally laughed.

"Point one for her. Just dropped that on the table." Dean smirked.

"Right in front of all of us, too," Wally added.

"Ooh-hoo!"

"Wow," Sam shook his head. "All right. Internet's up. We're in business."

Wally cleared his throat. "I'm so nervous. I don't even know if I can eat."

"Everything's gonna be fine," Mary assured.

~/~\~

Later that night, Mary and Robert burst through a door in a dark room, helping an injured Castiel to a nearby couch. Castiel clutched his bleeding wound in his side.

"Where's Sam, Dean, and Angela?" Castiel grunted.

~/~\~

Outside of the house, a woman attacked Wally and pinned him against the wall while Sam fought with a man and they fell through the porch railing. Wally was losing his struggle, while Sam stabbed his attacker with the demon blade.

"No! No!" Wally yelled.

"Wally?" Sam frowned. "Is that a—No!"

The demon shoved the blade through Wally's chest and then turned to Sam with black eyes. "I'm gonna be famous. The demons that killed Sam Winchester." She mused as she sauntered toward him. "They're gonna tell stories about me."

Suddenly, she screamed and fell to the ground, revealing Dean and Angela.

Dean pocketed his now bloody angel blade and shook his head. "Oh, no, they won't."

Angela helped Sam up, and they all noticed that Wally was dead. Sam slumped against the porch railing to catch his breath.

~/~\~

_The Wounded Angel_

Organ music played as Castiel sat in his truck and listened to the radio.

 _"Each of us has a time the physical body dies,"_ the pastor on the radio preached. _"We all face God's judgment in the end. There's not one of us alive walking on this earthly plane that will not pay the consequences for their actions."_

The Impala pulled into the parking lot, momentarily distracting Castiel from the radio.

_"The Lord will hold us in the palm of his hand, and he'll weigh our souls. Brothers and sisters, are you worthy?"_

Castiel shut off the radio and got out of his truck.

~/~\~

_Earlier_

Mary and Robert got out of the Jeep to greet Sam, Dean, and Angela.

"Hey, Mom. Robert." Sam greeted.

"Hi, Dad." Angela hugged Robert. "Hi, Mary."

"Sam. Dean. Angela." Mary gestured at Wally. "Wally."

"Hi." Sam greeted.

Wally shook Sam's hand, then Dean's, and lastly, Angela's.

"Hi." Dean and Angela nodded.

"Sam and Dean are my sons," Mary noted.

"And Angie's my daughter," Robert added.

"Glad to meet you." Angela smiled warmly at Wally. "We've heard a lot of good things."

"Yeah, right back at you." Wally nodded. "Mary and Robert are real proud of y'all."

"Cas." Dean greeted as the angel walked over.

"Thanks for coming," Mary told the angel. "We know you're busy."

"Well, not really." Castiel sighed defeatedly.

"So, what?" Sam frowned. "No luck with Lucifer's kid?"

"No, Kelly Kline, it's like she's—just disappeared."

"Lucifer's kid. That's a joke, right? The…" Wally trailed off as he earned blank stared from everyone. "It's not a joke."

"All right, ramblers. Let's get rambling." Dean commanded.

"Lucifer has a kid," Wally muttered.

~/~\~

"Hey, what's the, uh, Wi-Fi password?" Sam asked Mandy.

"Extra cheese."

"Everyone is clear on the plan?" Mary asked.

"At 10:45, demon comes home. Sam, Angie, and I will be waiting for him." Dean recapped. "Angie will paint a devil's trap just in case, I'll pop him with a devil's trap bullet."

"I'll finish him off with the demon blade," Sam added.

"And I will wait at the back with you in case he comes in that way," Castiel noted.

"Cool, cool." Wally nodded. "What do I do?"

"Keep a lookout. Don't die."

"Everything is gonna be fine," Mary assured.

~/~\~

Outside of the house, Castiel was keeping a lookout. Meanwhile, inside, Angela was spraying a devil's trap under a rug while Dean loaded devil's trap bullets into his gun.

"Angie, should you be using spray-paint?" Sam frowned in concern. "I mean, can't the fumes affect the baby?"

"Sammy, it's okay. Really." Angela assured.

~/~\~

Suddenly, ominous whistling could be heard and Castiel dropped his angel blade into his hand and put his back to the wall as Mary and Robert checked their guns and stood with their backs to the opposite wall. Meanwhile, Dean was ready with his gun and his back to another wall while Sam and Angela were crouched by the door, demon and angel blades in hand. Dean moved to the center of the room ready to fire as the door swung open. Dean shot the demon, but the man was unfazed by the gunshots.

"You mind explainin' why you broke into my house?" the demon drawled as Dean shot him again. "I know it wasn't just to ruin the evening catch," he chuckled as he kicked the rug off the devil's trap. "Hunters."

Dean fired repeatedly into his chest, but the demons kept walking forward. Sam moved up behind and stabbed the demon in the side with the demon blade. The demon elbowed Sam and he was thrown into the wall, and Angela immediately went to check on her husband. Dean just watched, shocked as the demon pulled out the knife and examined it.

"Well, that didn't work." The demon taunted.

Mary and Robert walked into the room while Castiel stepped around the wall from behind Dean, ready to fight.

"Angel." The demon sneered.

The demon elbowed Dean in the face before attacking Castiel. He drove Castiel into the kitchen and threw him harshly against the cupboards. Sam, Dean, and Angela tried to join the fight, but he used demon powers to shut the door in their faces, leaving Mary and Robert to stand alone.

The two older hunters were thrown off when they saw the demon's eyes flash yellow, and he knocked their guns away. Sam, Dean, and Angela continued to pound on the doors, trying to get in.

"Hiya," the demon smirked devilishly.

"Run!" Castiel yelled as he tackled the demon.

Mary and Robert did as they were told and ran out of the back door of the house and Castiel was thrown out of the window just a moment later. Sam, Dean, and Angela ran out the front door and were joined by Wally running up the path from where he'd been keeping a lookout.

"Guys, we got a problem," Wally stressed.

"Yeah, we know," Angela replied.

"No, you don't." Wally shook his head. "Demons incoming." He nodded to two demons approaching.

"All right," Sam muttered. "Dean, Angie, get to Mom, Robert, and Cas. We got this. Go."

Dean leaped over the porch railing and helped Angela get down as safely as possible.

"You ready?" Sam asked Wally.

"First time for everything."

~/~\~

Sam hastily pulled out his phone and dialed Mary's number.

 _"Oh, Sam."_ Mary's voice rang through.

"Hey, where are you?"

 _"Farm down the road,"_ she answered. _"It looks abandoned. Take your first left and drive until you see a barn."_

"Yeah, okay." Sam breathed out. "We're on the way. Are you okay?"

 _"No,"_ Mary answered.

~/~\~

_9:05 PM_

Sam, Dean, and Angela barged into the barn where Robert, Mary, and Castiel were hold up. Castiel was slumped on the couch, bleeding profusely.

"What the hell just happened?" Dean demanded.

"Where's Wally?" Mary frowned.

"Wally, uh… I'm sorry." Angela apologized softly.

"Oh, God." Mary shook her head in disbelief.

"Cas?" Dean walked over to the angel, who grunted in pain.

"Where did those other demons come from?" Sam asked Mary and Robert.

"I don't know," Mary admitted. "I… The target. Did you see—

"No. He brushed off everything we threw at him." Sam interrupted.

"Did you see his eyes?" Robert questioned.

Sam and Angela looked at each other, confused by the question.

"What?" Angela asked.

"They were yellow, Pumpkin," Robert replied. "He had yellow eyes."

Sam's eyes widened in disbelief. "What the hell did you two get us into?"

~/~\~

"Hey, Mandy, when do you get off?" Dean smirked.

Mary just shook her head and Dean looked up at her while about to take a sip from his mug.

"Whenever I can." Mandy smiled before leaving.

"You meet them fancy Men of Letters?" Wally asked.

"British Men of Letters?" Sam raised his brows.

"Yeah, they got gear, but they tried to kill Sam and Dean," Angela replied. "We're not huge fans."

"All right. Internet's up." Sam chimed in. "We're in business."

"Everything's gonna be fine," Mary assured Wally, who just sighed in response.

~/~\~

_8:23 PM_

Castiel, Angela, Sam, Dean, Mary, Robert, and Wally stepped out of the woods near the demon's house.

"Doesn't appear to be warded," Castiel noted.

"Okay." Dean nodded. "Let's get to work."

~/~\~

Sam set down a bag of gear inside the house and sorted through various weapons.

"Sam?" Mary walked in. "Where are Dean and Angela?"

"Uh, they're out stashing the car."

"Okay." Mary turned to leave.

"Wait, Mom?" Sam stopped her. "Uh… I just wanted to make sure that, um… you're okay. I mean, I know you never really wanted this."

Mary pursed her lips and shrugged. "Since when is life about getting what you want?"

~/~\~

_9:03 PM_

Sam, Dean, and Angela barged through the door.

"What the hell just happened?" Dean demanded.

"Where's Wally?" Mary asked.

"Wally, uh… I'm sorry." Angela shook her head.

"Oh, God."

"Cas," Dean walked over to the angel, who was grunting in pain.

"Where did those other demons come from?" Sam asked Mary and Robert.

"I don't know," Mary admitted.

"Hey," Dean knelt down next to Castiel. "Wow. You look like hammered crap."

"Yeah," Castiel grunted. "That sounds about right."

"Let's see."

Castiel lifted up his shirt to reveal the wounds and Dean visibly recoiled, shocked before reaching out to cover it again.

"All right. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, hey, you know what? I've had worse." Dean tried to sound comforting.

"Oh, yeah? When?" Castiel retorted. "Dean, something's wrong. I… I can't heal myself. I think the… I think the demon's spear was poisoned. I don't… I-I think I'm dying."

"No," Dean replied firmly. "No, you just need some time, okay? You'll heal up the old fashioned way."

"What the hell did you two get us into?" Sam asked Mary and Robert.

"Sam. Angie," Dean called out.

Sam, Angela, Mary, and Robert walked over to see Castiel groaning and suffering.

"You idiots," Crowley said as he appeared behind the hunters. "You're all going to die."


	24. Stuck in the Middle (With You) Part 2

"You idiots," Crowley sneered. "You're all going to die."

"Well, this day just keeps gettin' better." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Crowley?" Angela's brows furrowed.

"You're him? The King of Hell?" Robert narrowed his eyes.

"You must be Papa Morgan," Crowley realized before his eyes drifted over to Mary. "And you must be Mother Winchester. Pleasure. I've heard so much." He held out a hand for them to shake.

"I'm good. Thanks." Robert glared.

"Touch me and I'll kill you," Mary warned.

Crowley let his hand drop and he looked over at Castiel. "What's up with Feathers?"

"What are you doing here? How'd you find us?" Dean demanded.

"Wait a second. The demons. They were yours." Sam accused.

"Obviously."

"They killed my friend." Mary retorted angrily.

"Your friend was stupid." Crowley shrugged. "You're all… Do you know what you've done? Does the name Ramiel mean anything to you?"

"No." the hunters replied.

"Yes," Castiel grunted.

"What?" Sam's brows furrowed.

"Ramiel. Prince of Hell." Castiel breathed heavily.

"Ramiel, Prince of Hell. It's catchy. It rhymes. And he's going to kill each and every one of you." Crowley explained.

"No." Castiel shook his head weakly. "The Princes are all dead."

"That's what we told people to stop them looking. But in reality, not so much."

"W-what the hell is a Prince of… Hell?" Dean asked.

"The oldest of the old demons," Crowley answered. "The first generation after Lilith. Lucifer turned them himself, before the oceans drank Atlantis."

"They were trailed to be generals," Castiel added. "To lead demonic armies in the war against Heaven."

"Like Azazel," Robert muttered.

"They even have his eyes." Crowley mused. "My demons were there to keep people away from Ramiel. Believe me, that's a hornet's nest you do not want to be kicking."

"Too late," Dean muttered.

"What happened to Cas?" Angela questioned.

"You tell me."

"He got stabbed with some kind of silver-tipped spear," Mary recalled.

"It's not a spear." Crowley shook his head. "It's a lance. The Lance of Michael."

"Michael. As in _Michael_ , Michael?" Dean's brows shot up.

"Nasty bit of business. Kills everything it touches. If you're a demon, you go up in a puff of smoke. If you're an angel, you just… rot away. Sorry, Castiel."

"No. No." Angela walked toward Crowley. "There's a cure. There is _always_ a cure, and we will find it."

"How, Bambi?" Crowley inquired.

"We trap Ramiel," Sam suggested.

"And we beat his ass until he gives it up," Dean added.

"It's not gonna work." Crowley retorted.

"We took down the Darkness, and the Devil." Sam reminded.

"It took you years to defeat Lucifer, and the power of God to stop the Darkness," Crowley argued. "Maybe if you had more time, you could manage Ramiel. But right now, in this barn… Hey, I was growing fond of the choir boy, too."

"Shut up." Angela snapped. "We don't have time, okay, for your—for you. So either help us or get the hell out of here!"

Crowley stared at her for a moment before disappearing into thin air.

"Yeah, figures," Dean muttered.

~/~\~

Inside the barn, Sam was pouring a ring of holy oil onto the floor while Robert and Mary clutched their angel blades. Dean wore the magical brass knuckles and Angela knelt by Castiel, comforting him.

Sam stood by the door when suddenly, Crowley came crashing through the wall beside him and flew across the room to land by an old tractor. The brothers rushed to check on him when Ramiel sauntered through the hole Crowley made.

~/~\~

"We don't have time for your… for you," Angela told Crowley. "So, either help us or get the hell out of here!"

Crowley stared at her for a moment before disappearing.

"Yeah, figures." Dean scoffed.

~/~\~

_9:12 PM_

Cas groaned a coughed violently while Angela smoothed his hair back, trying to comfort him.

"Cas, how bad is it?" Dean asked.

Castiel groaned and writhed in pain, loosening his tie and pulling aside his collar to show the damage from his wound spreading across his chest.

"Crowley's right," Castiel muttered. "You should go."

"Cas, come on." Dean shook his head.

"No, you listen to me," Castiel started. "You—Look, thank you. Knowing you, it… it's been the best part of my life. And the things that…" he inhaled sharply. "The things we've shared together, they have changed me. You're my family. I love you. I love all of you. Just please… please, don't make my last moments be spent watching you die. Just run. Save yourselves. And I will hold Ramiel off as long as I can."

"Cas, no," Dean stressed.

"Yes. You need to keep fighting."

"We are fighting," Sam assured. "We're fighting for you, Cas."

"And like you said, you're family, hon." Angela reminded. "And we don't leave family behind."

"Mom. Robert." Sam looked at the older hunters.

The four of them walked a few feet away while Angela stayed with Castiel.

"What's the play?" Mary asked.

"We hit him with everything we got," Dean answered.

~/~\~

Sam lit the lighter and dropped it, igniting the hold fire ring and effectively trapping Ramiel.

"Toasty," Ramiel commented.

"You stabbed one of our friends." Dean glared.

"Your friend was trespassing."

"Tell us how to cure him," Sam demanded.

"There is no cure." Ramiel scoffed.

"You have any idea who we are?" Dean questioned.

"I don't care." Ramiel shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't care who you are. I don't care why you're here. I don't care about Heaven or Hell or anything. I don't even care that Lucifer's got a bun in the oven."

"You know about that?" Robert asked.

"My sister Dagon, she's taken an interest. But me? Eh."

"Let me guess," Dean started. "You don't care."

"All I wanted was to be left alone," Ramiel explained. "But then you come. You… steal from me. And that? Ooh. That I cannot abide." He shook his head as he pulled out a pocket watch. "Aah… Give back what's mine, or I take it off your lifeless bodies. You've got… thirty seconds."

"Obviously we got no idea what you're talking about," Dean replied.

"Twenty seconds." Ramiel chuckled while he looked around at each of them. "Have it your way."

Ramiel reached behind himself to pull the Lance of Michael out of thin air. He raised it and slammed it to the ground, extinguishing the holy fire and throwing Mary, Robert, Sam, and Dean backward. Sam charged him, but Ramiel fought him off with the lance. Dean took a turn at charging him and was also thrown off. Sam returned using an angel blade to counter the lance while Dean picked up a shovel and attacked the demon.

Ramiel was closing in on Dean with the lance raised to stab him when Sam came at him from the side, wresting the lance from Ramiel while Robert stabbed him in the back, distracting the demon long enough for Sam to spear him with the lance. Ramiel laughed manically and then exploded into a cloud of black dust. Castiel screamed in agony and Angela tried to comfort him while Sam threw the lance over and ran to Castiel.

"Cas. Hey, buddy. Hey, we're here, Cas," Sam assured as black goo started flowing from Castiel's mouth. "We're right here, buddy."

Crowley pulled himself up from where he'd been lying by the tractor, and picked up the lance. He studied it and looked over to see Castiel dying, with Robert, Mary, Sam, Dean, and Angela crouched near him.

"Hang in there, hon," Angela whispered. "What do we do?"

Crowley snapped the lance in half, releasing a blinding flash of light. Castiel glowed with it, and as it faded, he was cured. Everyone turned to look at Crowley, stunned.

"The magic's in the craftsmanship." Crowley shrugged.

"Cas?" Dean asked concernedly.

Angela looked up at Crowley. "Thank you."

"Oh," Crowley muttered, slightly shocked. "You're welcome, Bambi."

Crowley dropped the broken lance and disappeared.

~/~\~

Sam and Dean each clasped one of Castiel's hands and pulled him to his feet.

"So… you're good?" Robert asked.

"I guess so." Castiel nodded. "What did he… what did he mean about somebody stealing from him?"

Mary was about to say something, but Dean spoke up first.

"Who knows what that crazy man was talking about." He shrugged. "Let's go home."

Dean picked up the broken pieces of the lance and they all walked out of the barn.


	25. Family Feud Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam and Angela sat at one of the library tables as Dean walked into the room talking on his phone. Meanwhile, Sam was tapping away on his laptop and Angela was flipping through one of the many books in the library.

"Okay, well, stay on it," Dean sat as he walked toward the table. "You get any leads, you let us know, and we'll keep working it from our end. Thanks, Cas." He added before hanging up. "So, Kelly Kline is in the wind. No trace."

"Great," Angela commented sarcastically.

"No idea when Lucifer's kid is gonna pop, if it hasn't already," Dean muttered.

"So, basically, we got nothin'," Sam replied.

"Basically."

"All right. Well, we do have this other thing." Sam suggested.

"What other thing?" Dean leaned forward curiously.

"Check it out," Sam started. "Museum in Des Moines, Iowa. A guy's body was found in the parking lot. A teacher. His tongue had been ripped out."

"Well, that didn't kill him," Angela remarked.

"No, but having his internal organs crushed did," Sam noted. "Uh, no obvious damage to the torso, no point of entry."

"You thinkin' witch?" Dean asked.

"Maybe. I mean, he was seen alive just a couple hours earlier, leading a student tour of the museum."

"Hmm." Dean hummed. "Haven't seen Mom or Robert in a while. Maybe they'll wanna work with us on this."

~/~\~

The Impala sped down the dark back road and Grace was asleep in the back seat.

"Get this," Sam read from his tablet. "It looks like there was another murder. It's just like the one we're checking up on."

"Iowa?" Dean asked.

"No, Andover, Massachusetts," Sam answered. "Six months ago. A woman. Body was found in the same condition. Looks like she was a teacher, too."

"Hmm."

"Too bad Mom and Robert couldn't make it," Sam commented. "You said they were too tired?"

Dean scoffed audibly. "Yeah."

"That's what they're saying," Angela muttered, unconvinced.

"What?" Sam's brows furrowed in confusion.

"I don't know, baby," Angela sighed heavily. "I just…"

"We feel like something's going on with them, and they ain't talkin' about it." Dean finished.

"They're hunting again." Sam shrugged. "That's a grind. You guys know that. They just need a little time. That's all."

"Yeah." Dean sighed heavily.

~/~\~

_Des Moines, Iowa_

Sam, Dean, and Angela dressed in their FBI apparel walked down the museum hall with Dr. Ochoa. Angela held Grace's hand as they walked.

"So, thank you again for meeting with us, Dr. Ochoa," Angela said sincerely.

"Of course, Agent," Dr. Ochoa nodded. "I… we've had two murders in two days. The police have no idea what's going on, and—

"Well, that's why we're here," Dean assured.

"Now you said victim number two brought some Timber Troopers through here, right?"

"16 hours ago, they were standing right where you are."

"Is there anything new to the museum?" Angela inquired.

"Well, here in the lab, three traveling exhibits have been curated." Dr. Ochoa explained. "One's already on display. The other two are being prepped."

"Dr. Ochoa?" a man nearby called out.

"Excuse me." Dr. Ochoa smiled.

"Sure." Sam nodded as she walked away.

"Mm-hmm. Okay, so… including the Massachusetts vic, that is two teachers and one scout leader." Dean muttered.

"People who supervise kids," Sam added.

Dean turned on the EMF meter and is started to react heavily. "Whoa. There's a lot of action in here. Okay, well, I'm switching my vote from witch to ghost."

"I don't know." Angela shook her head. "EMF isn't that surprising at a museum. They're always filled with ADHD spirits and their tethers, you know?"

"Okay, but if our killer is a chain rattler, how are we gonna figure out which one it is?" Dean asked.

~/~\~

Dean picked up a curved knife and Grace stood next to him.

"Hmm," Dean hummed. "Aztecs were pretty serious about their killings. Aztec ghost. Yeah, I like that."

Dean missed the stand while trying to put down the knife, causing it to thud.

"Unca Dean, shh." Grace hushed.

"Yeah, yeah, like you're so quiet." Dean picked up his niece and walked toward Sam and Angela, who were looking at a figurehead. "What do you guys got?"

"It's a ship, um, a brigantine called The Star," Sam started. "Sunk in a storm off the New England coast. Currently on loan from the Maritime Museum in—wait for it—Andover, Massachusetts."

"Really?" Dean raised his brows.

"Yeah. Sunk in a storm in 1723."

"Something sounds familiar about this ship…" Angela muttered.

"Um, it was, uh, headed to the New World." Sam shrugged. "Weighed anchor in Leith, Scotland."

"Leith," Angela realized, earning confused looks from the brothers. "Yes. Gavin MacLeod. This was his ship."

Sam's brows furrowed. "Crowley's kid?"

"Mm-hmm." Angela hummed.

~/~\~

Dean pulled out his phone and dialed Crowley's number and waited as it rang.

 _"What do you want?"_ Crowley's voice finally rang through.

"Need a favor," Dean replied.

 _"You… need… You?"_ Crowley asked incredulously. _"Turns out that behind that whole moron façade, you, your brother, and Angela are, in fact, morons! You let Lucifer's child live."_

Dean's brows furrowed in confusion. "How do you even know about that?"

 _"I don't owe you an explanation."_ Crowley retorted.

"Okay, so, I'm—I'm guessing this isn't the best time to ask you to get in touch with Gavin so we can talk to him?" Sam asked.

 _"Are you out of your minds?"_ Crowley scoffed.

"You know what, Crowley? When you set Gavin free to live in our time and possibly screw up the rest of human history, we didn't hunt him down, okay?" Dean reminded. "So, I think you owe us."

 _"You three fix this mess before it hatches. Then, maybe then, we'll talk about my son."_ Crowley replied before the line went dead.

~/~\~

Inside the museum, Sam, Dean, and Angela were sitting with Rowena and Grace sat on Sam's lap.

"Your little story's fascinating," the red-headed witch started. "But you said there was something in this for me?"

"If the killer is a ghost, it may be tethered to something on this ship," Angela explained. "So, we need intel on the vessel."

"Get a library card." Rowena retorted. "You three still owe me for helping you in Arkansas." She reminded before standing up to leave.

Sam reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Sit down. We know of a guy who has firsthand knowledge of The Star."

"So?" Rowena scoffed.

"So, if you find him, we actually do have something that you'll like." Dean offered. "Like, really like."

Rowena's brows rose in interest. "Who is this eyewitness?"


	26. Family Feud Part 2

Sam, Dean, and Angela stood outside the bus station and Sam held Grace on his hip. The hunters watched as a man exited the bus.

"There he is," Dean commented.

"Yep." Sam and Angela muttered as they all started walking toward the man.

"Gavin." Dean greeted.

"Hey, Gavin." Angela smiled softly. "Good to see you, hon. How's life in the 21st century treating you?"

"Oh, fine." Gavin nodded. "Where's my father, then?"

"Walk with us, Gav," Dean instructed.

"How sick is he?" Gavin asked worriedly.

"About that…" Sam trailed off. "We might've exaggerated a little bit."

"Lied. We lied." Dean clarified.

"Okay, well, we knew you wouldn't come if it was just us," Angela admitted.

"We need your help, Gavin." Dean sighed heavily.

"Help?" Gavin asked incredulously before turning to a passerby. "Help!"

"Nah, we're fine," Sam assured the passerby. "Um, just hear us out, please."

"How did you find… What are you going to do to me?"

"Just wanna ask you a few questions," Dean answered as he showed Gavin a drawing of The Star. "About this."

Gavin's eyes widened in disbelief. "Dear God, that's The Star. That's my ship!"

"Well, it should've been," Sam replied.

"Yeah, we know all about her."

"We figured there's someone you'd wanna meet," Angela commented.

The rear door of the Impala opened and Rowena stepped out.

"Hello, Gavin," she smiled. "You look just like my father when he was young."

"Gavin, meet Rowena," Angela introduced. "Your grandmother."

"My grandmother?" Gavin breathed out in shock. "She cannae be alive."

"Well, technically, dude, neither can you." Dean reminded.

~/~\~

"Amazin'," Gavin grinned as he looked at the museum piece about The Star. "Father told me she'd gone down in the storm and that was the end of her."

"The end of you, too, if you'd been aboard," Rowena added.

"Huh."

"Gavin, what can you tell us about the other passengers who were supposed to make the crossing?" Sam asked.

"Ordinary folk. Storekeepers, farmers, a doctor, a teacher." Gavin recalled.

"A teacher?" Sam raised his brows.

"Aye." Gavin nodded. "Mistress Allaway. She taught most of us in the village. This everything they found aboard?"

"Yes." Dean nodded. "Let us know if you recognize anything."

Gavin started flipping through a catalog of the exhibit. "Nope. Nope. Ooh, there's Mr. MacCallum's hook. Had no hand, you see." He explained as he stopped at a picture. "No. No. Oh, sweet Lord. It's the locket."

"The locket?" Angela's brows furrowed.

Gavin handed the binder to Angela. "I bought it myself. It was a gift for my Fiona."

"Darlin', you had a wee girlfriend?" Rowena cooed.

"Look at this," Dean pointed. "Added to the exhibit six months ago."

"Fiona Duncan, the love of my life." Gavin murmured. "When she found out I was going to American, nothing would do but I take her with me. I told her it was too dangerous."

"How did it get here?" Sam questioned. "If you didn't board the ship, then she wouldn't have either, right?"

"I don't know," Gavin admitted. "That terrible night… I was packing, ready to leave. Fiona said she was going to come see me, beg me one more time to take her along. Obviously, I never made it to the ship. If Fiona came that night, I was gone."

"And she would've thought that you left without her." Angela realized.

"Dear God," Gavin shook his head. "She must've smuggled herself aboard."

"Would she have really done something like that?" Angela asked.

"Iron will, that one. She'd have stayed hidden until they were at sea and there was no turnin' back."

"And she would've died, pissed as hell and heartbroken." Dean sighed.

"Yeah, unfinished business," Sam muttered. "We got a ghost tethered to the locket."

Gavin's eyes widened. "A ghost? My Fiona's a ghost?"

"All right, where is this thing?" Dean asked. "Item 121."

"121?"

"Yeah."

"All right." Sam nodded.

As they began searching, Dean looked into one of the cases. Inside, there was a stand with item 121 listed, but it wasn't there.

"Sam, Angie?" Dean called over.

"What?" Sam asked as he adjusted Grace on his hip.

"It's gone."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into Dr. Ochoa's office.

"Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Ochoa," Angela started. "We've been looking through the shipwreck exhibit in connection with the murders."

"There seems to be an item missing," Dean added. "Yeah. Uh… It's right here. It's a locket."

"That's no possible," Dr. Ochoa replied. "It's in a sealed case."

"We know, ma'am, but—but we've looked everywhere. It's definitely gone." Sam stressed.

"Have one of those, um, student tours been through here the last couple of days, the ones led by the teachers?" Dean asked.

"Yes, there was one yesterday."

"And where are they from?" Dean asked.

"Uh… The Pembroke Day School for Girls."

~/~\~

Sam and Dean burst into the Pembroke Day School for Girls as the ghost threw Elizabeth across the room, while Angela stayed back in the Impala with Grace. The ghost turned and Dean shot it with rock salt as Rowena and Gavin entered the room.

Sam jogged over to Elizabeth and helped her off the ground.

"Is it dead?" Elizabeth's voice wavered in fear.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Has been for a long time."

"What?" she frowned in confusion.

"It was a ghost," Dean replied.

"The rock salt only slowed it down," Sam added.

"All right, we gotta figure out if this was Fiona," Dean muttered. "So, showtime."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, Rowena, and Gavin were sitting together, and Grace sat on Angela's lap.

"Her life aboard that ship was so unbearable, she felt death would be a relief." Gavin shook his head sadly. "But the sweet maid I knew is now a spirit bent on revenge."

"So, we agree Fiona has to be stopped," Sam replied.

"We can't burn her bones. They're at the bottom of the Atlantic." Dean scoffed.

"Could destroy the locket," Angela suggested. "Then again, she might also be tethered to something else on the ship."

"Either way, nothing can bring back the poor people she killed," Gavin replied.

"Actually," Sam pursed his lips. "There might be a-a way to fix pretty much everything."

"What?" Gavin frowned.

"Keep Fiona from going Casper in the first place," Dean answered.

"Yeah. There's no reason for her to be a ghost if she's not angry and alone… on the ship." Sam alluded.

Rowena narrowed her eyes. "You don't intend to tamper with the flow of time do you?"

"That's up to Gavin," Angela replied.

"Look, we're lookin' for a fix here, okay?" Dean sighed. "This is it. We get him aboard that ship, he travels with Fiona, keeps her safe."

"And go to his death," Rowena argued. "That's your solution?"

"I didn't say it was a fun one, okay? Just the one, and you know it." Dean defended. "And it would keep history intact."

"I… was thinking the same thing," Gavin admitted. "I loved her. She loved me. That's the only reason any of this happened. I can spare her the nightmare she's trapped in. I cannae say I ever fit here. Here, I'm alone. Fiona and me, we'll spend eternity together."

"Never gonna happen." Crowley appeared suddenly. "Just 'cause you three morons can't keep your own family all in the same dimension, doesn't mean you can mess with mine!"

"Father, I want to do this," Gavin stressed.

"What you want is a gym membership, happy hour at Hooters, and Cubs tickets—none of which are available anywhere else but here."

"I've made up my mind."

"Then why did you call me?" Crowley demanded.

"You called him?" Dean raised his brows.

"To say goodbye," Gavin replied.

"Let him go, Fergus," Rowena told her son.

"Butt out," Crowley growled.

"Fergus, he's not like us." She argued. "He believes in things. Let him do what he believes is right."

Gavin stood up and Crowley reached out for him.

"Manete!" Rowena chanted, freezing Crowley in place.

"Mother… Damn you."

"I'm sorry, Father." Gavin apologized sincerely.

~/~\~

Rowena and Gavin stood next to the Impala and Gavin got in with Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace. The Impala sped off, leaving Rowena behind.

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Inside the library, Sam was working on a spell that he found in one of the books that were open on the table.

"That soup yet?" Dean asked.

"Almost," Sam replied as he kept mixing the ingredients. "You ready?" he asked Gavin.

"Do it." He nodded. "Ah…"

Sam cut Gavin's hand and blood ran into the bowl. Angela handed Gavin a bandanna to wrap around his hand while Sam walked over to the wall and started drawing a sigil.

"Ready to do this, Gavin?" Angela asked gently.

"You're positive this will work?" he asked.

"Never done it before," Dean admitted. "But our granddad did. And Abaddon. And Rowena tweaked the spell so that you could use it."

"All right. I think that's it." Sam sighed.

"This is a tough one," Dean admitted.

"You're a good guy, Gavin," Sam told the young man. "Thank you."

"Hopefully… this is all for the best." Gavin kissed the locket.

"Beam him up, Scotty."

"Kah-nee-lah, poo-goh, kah-nee-lah." Sam chanted.

The sigil started to glow and Fiona appeared next to Gavin. They held hands and vanished into a bright, golden light.

"You know…" Angela sighed heavily. "I kinda feel for Crowley."

"What?" Sam's brows furrowed.

"I wouldn't want Gracie sacrificing herself," Angela shrugged. "Even if it was for something she believed was right. I couldn't watch our daughter do that."

~/~\~

Sam was looking at his laptop and Angela sat on his lap when Dean walked in behind them.

"So, the teachers at the girls' school are all back to work," Dean commented. "It's like nothing ever happened. That's all the victims in Ohio."

"Well, no mention of the Massachusetts murder either," Sam replied. "Uh, no Fiona, no angry ghost. Looks like history is back on track. Thank you, Gavin."

Suddenly, the door to the bunker opened and Mary and Robert walked in.

"Mom!"

"Dad!" Angela grinned.

"Well, well!" Dean exclaimed.

"Hey!" Sam greeted.

Angela stood up and hugged her dad tightly and the brothers followed her close behind.

"It has been a while," Dean started. "A long, long… long, long, long, long while."

"Yeah, all right." Sam rolled his eyes in annoyance. "He's dramatic, as you know. What he meant to say was, we missed you. Glad you're back."

"Burgers." Mary held up a fast-food bag.

"Beer." Robert held up a six-pack.

"Mmm." Dean hummed. "Forgiven. Watcha been up to?"

"Oh. Jogging, tai chi, meditation." Mary shrugged. "Melting rugaru brains."

"Uh, m-m-melting rugaru brains?" Sam stammered.

"There's no easy way to say it, so I'm just gonna say it," Robert started. "Mary and I have sort of… been working with the British Men of Letters."

Angela frowned deeply. "You what?"

"W-what do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Ah." Dean crossed his arms.

"We, um… we have a-a history with them." Sam reminded.

"Yeah, them trying to kill us." Angela scoffed.

"We know," Mary replied. "And it was a hard decision. But they're doing good work. We have helped them save people, a lot of people. We can learn from them." She explained, looking from Sam and Angela to Dean. "Do _not_ give me the face."

"What face?" Dean demanded.

"You know the face."

"There's no face." Dean retorted.

"That's the face," Mary argued as Dean looked away from her.

"We have our own tool kit, and it works just fine." Angela narrowed her eyes. "And for obvious reasons, like broken ribs and burnt feet, we don't trust the Brits."

"So, where does that leave us?" Dean questioned.

"Same as always," Mary replied. "Family."

"Just hear us out, please." Robert pleaded.


	27. The Raid Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Mary and Robert stood across from the three younger hunters. Sam was sitting at the map table while Dean and Angela stood, anger etched on their faces.

"Just hear us out," Robert started before looking directly at Angela. "Pumpkin, please."

"Wow." Angela shook her head in disappointment. "Just wow."

"What the British Men of Letters are doing, what we're doing, it's a better way," Mary stressed. "They," she sighed heavily. "Look, I'm not blind to who they are or what they've done, but—

"When?" Sam cut his mother off. "When? When did you two start working with them?"

"Since before the lake house," Robert answered, earning a scoff from Sam.

"It wasn't Wally." Mary continued. "They brought us that case."

"You were runnin' an errand for the Brits. And you kept it from us." Dean sneered. "Cas almost died."

"I—

"A hunter got killed." Angela interrupted.

"You think we don't know?" Robert retorted.

"We're the ones who burned his body," Mary added. "We're the ones who told his wife. We watch him die every night."

"Good." Dean glared icily.

~/~\~

"Robert and I are doing this for you," Mary defended. "We're playing decades of catch up here."

"And we're not?" Angela snapped. "This hasn't exactly been _easy_ for us either, Mary."

"We're your kids, and you both have been gone. For a long time." Dean added. "You and Robert said that you needed time. No, you said you needed space. So, we gave you your space. But you didn't need just space. No, you needed space from us."

"That's not true," Mary argued. "Dean, we're trying—

"You both have a granddaughter who wants to know you." Angela snapped angrily. "And another grandchild on the way. And you two haven't even _tried_ to get to know Grace."

"Pumpkin—

"How 'bout for once, you just try to be parents?" Dean glared.

"I am your mother," Mary looked at her eldest son. "But I am not 'just a mom.' And you are not a child."

"I never was," Dean replied sadly. "So, between us and them—

"It's not like that," Mary assured.

"Yeah, Mary, it is." Dean pursed his lips. "And you guys made your choice. So, there's the door."

Dean stormed out of the library and Angela quickly followed after him.

"Sam," Mary tried.

"You should go. Both of you." Sam told the older hunters before he got up and left as well.

~/~\~

_Three days later_

In the bunker, Sam was working on his laptop while Angela was coloring with Grace at the map table.

"Dead guy in Akron," Dean said as he descended down the stairs. "Body found two days ago. Throat ripped out, ear-to-ear." He set his own laptop down on the table.

"Well, good morning to you, too," Sam muttered.

"Read it."

Sam chuckled in response and scanned over the article. "The guy was a-a known drug dealer with enemies. His throat wasn't ripped out, it was slit with a knife. I'm not really sure this is our kind of thing."

"We don't know that." Dean shrugged. "His blood could've been drained."

"It could've been?" Sam quirked a brow.

"You know what? You find us a case." Dean replied in annoyance. "'Cause I need to hit something. Now."

"You wanna talk about it?" Angela looked at her brother-in-law.

"Not really," Dean grumbled. "What were they thinkin'?"

"I don't know." Sam sighed. "Maybe we should ask them."

"What?" Dean scoffed in disbelief.

"Look, I-I am pissed and—and frustrated and confused, too. But we've frozen Mom and Robert out for days."

"They lied to us, baby." Angela reminded.

"I know."

"For months," Dean added.

"I know, but they're our parents." Sam shrugged. "I mean, whatever they were doing, they must've had a good reason."

"A good reason?" Dean repeated incredulously. "A good reason for working with those ass clowns?"

"Look, I hear you, all right? But—but at the end of the day, they're family." Sam argued. "We owe it to them to at least—

"Alright, you know what? Screw it. I need a drink." Dean stood up and shrugged his coat on.

"You…" Sam sighed heavily.

"No, I need drinks. Plural." Dean corrected. "And this whole peacemaker shtick that you've been running, first with Cas, now with Mom and Robert, it's getting old, man."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam demanded.

"You're always playing the middle, Sam. For once, why don't you pick a side?" Dean muttered before walking up the stairs.

"Just give him his space, baby," Angela told her husband.

"Why is Unca Dean mad?" Grace asked curiously.

"Sometimes, families get into fights," Angela explained as Sam checked his phone. "And right now, Dean is upset with Grandma and Grandpa, because they lied to us."

"And lying is bad." Grace nodded.

"That's right, Gracie."

"Hey, babe?" Sam looked at his wife. "Mom texted me. Said she needed to meet urgently. Would you be willing to come?"

Angela sighed reluctantly but nodded. "Fine."

~/~\~

Sam and Angela pulled up to the British Men of Letters compound and Sam shut the engine off. The hunters got out and Angela took Grace out of her car seat.

"Thanks for coming," Mary told them sincerely.

"What's so urgent?" Sam demanded.

"We messed up," Robert started. "We know we messed up. But what the British Men of Letters are doing, this is bigger than us. We've got a real shot here."

"Shot at what?" Angela questioned.

"A world without monsters, Angela," Mary answered. "A world where you, Sam, and Dean don't have to hunt, where you can have normal lives. Your children can have normal lives."

"We chose this life." Sam reminded.

"I know." Mary nodded. "But you were going to school, to college. And I get why you gave it up. But what if you didn't have to? What if there was a different future for you, for us?"

"That's why we're doing this," Robert added. "That is what Mary and I are fighting for. We're not trying to recruit you, but you both need to know. Things are changing."

"Please," Mary begged. "Just let us show you."

~/~\~

"It's, uh, just in here," Mary noted as she and Robert led them into the compound.

"Wow," Sam muttered as he noticed all the computers and monitors around the room.

"Believe it or not," Robert started. "This is just their temporary base. The Brits talk like they're roughing it."

"Sam and Angela Winchester." Mick walked up to them and turned to look at Mary and Robert. "You didn't tell me your children were stopping by."

"Didn't know we had to." Mary retorted.

"Anyway, welcome." Mick offered his hand for them to shake.

Sam ignored the gesture and pursed his lips. "Yeah, um, you know, I really dig the whole low-budget Mission Impossible vibe, but we're gonna head back."

"You sure?" Mick asked. "You're just in time for the briefing."

"Mick," Robert warned.

"I mean, that is, if you wanna hear how we're gonna exterminate every last vampire in America." Mick continued.

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Dean sauntered into the bunker and looked around. "Sammy? Angie? Lucy! I—

The older Winchester walked toward the table and plucked a note off the lamp. "Went out. Back later." He muttered. "Whatever." Dean shrugged as he turned to the empty liquor cabinet, only to find out that the bottles were empty. "Oh, no."

Dean set down the bottle with a thud and suddenly heard a knock on the door.

~/~\~

"What'd, you guys forget your key?" Dean asked as he opened the door with a creak.

"Hello, mate." Ketch greeted.

Dean squinted slightly. "How'd you find us?"

"Well, this is a Men of Letters bunker," Ketch replied obviously. "The location's no secret to us."

"Okay. Cool. Well, good talk." Dean moved to shut the door.

Ketch put his hand out, stopping the door. "And whilst I understand that you're not feeling warmly disposed to me, I wonder, what's your disposition to this incredibly rare, unspeakably expensive, a bottle of barrel proof Scotch?"

~/~\~

"Before we get started, we've got a few new faces," Mick told everyone who was sitting around the conference table. "This is Pierce Moncrieff, a hunter out of Baton Rouge. Pierce, meet Alton Morehead, our head of R&D—weapons development, spell work, that sort of thing. And Serena Colman, our Head of Security and Surveillance. And, of course, you know Mary Winchester and Robert Morgan, and their children. Sam, Angela, please. Plenty of seats."

"I'm fine," Sam replied. "Baby, why don't you sit down with Gracie?" he pulled up a chair for his wife.

"Thanks, Sammy." Angela smiled gently and sat down, adjusting Grace on her lap.

"All right then. Let's begin" Mick smiled.

"As most of you know," Serena started. "Phase One of Project V is nearly complete. Over the past months, we've focused our efforts on the NWR."

"Midwest region," Mary whispered to Sam and Angela.

"When we started our operation, there were 241 vampires across 12 states," Serena explained. "We've killed all but 11."

"Wait, what?" Angela's brows creased. "Seriously? How?"

"You American hunters tend to see vampires as criminals, rogues. One gets out of line, you show up, lop off its head, and leave town. We treat them like terrorists."

Alton cleared his throat. "Uh, vampires may typically hunt alone or in small nests. But scratch the surface, and they're all connected, from the lowest drone all the way up the chain to the top."

"To the Alpha," Sam muttered.

"Mm-hmm." Alton hummed.

"When we find a nest, we don't just charge in a la John Wayne, guns a-blazing," Mick noted. "We wait, we watch."

"We determine the size of the nest, its relationships to the other vampire groups," Serena added.

"They tend to trade amongst themselves—information, victims."

"And we're constantly expanding and refining our intelligence," Serena commented. "And when we've learned all we can, we go, we assemble a team—

"And wipe 'em out." Robert finished.

"Now all the remaining NWR vampires have bunkered up in an abandoned building near Wichita—the More Rest Hotel. They think they're safe."

"We've got the AVD locked and loaded," Mary said.

"AVD—Anti-Vamp device." Alton clarified.

"Tomorrow, we ship out, raid the compound, terminate the colony, and uh, complete Phase One," Mick explained.

"And then we move on to the rest of the country," Robert added. "By the time we're done, there won't be a single bloodsucker left in America."


	28. The Raid Part 2

_Lebanon, Kansas_

"Mmm," Ketch hummed as he sipped his drink. "Nice place. Quaint. Cozy." He commented as Dean took a swig from his own tumbler of Scotch. "Not much for small talk, are we?"

"Nope," Dean replied curtly.

"Well, surely, you have some questions. Why I'm here, for instance."

"You're here to recruit us." Dean scoffed. "You've already got Mary and Robert playing your game. You want me, Sam, and Angie."

"Well, I don't, but the old lads have taken quite a shine to you."

"Mm. Well, maybe they shouldn't have sent some chick to try to kill us." Dean sassed.

"Yes—Toni." Ketch sighed heavily. "No one predicted she would go rogue. No one but me. I had a sneak peek at what a neurotic, overreaching, time bomb she was. We used to date."

"Huh." Dean chuckled. "Yeah, I can see that."

"Dean, I don't give a toss if you sign up." Ketch shrugged. "Honestly, I don't care if you live or die. But since we're such jolly good pals now—

"Jolly good, huh?" Dean interrupted.

"Let me just say that the Men of Letters is an excellent fit for someone with our inclinations."

"Our? As in you and me?" Dean asked.

"You're a killer, Dean Winchester, and so am I. And if we go too long without something to track or trap or punch or gut, well, things tend to get a bit ugly. Don't they? The Men of Letters keep me busy. They point me in a direction and bang. Off to the races. It's not a bad life. Speaking of…" Ketch downed the rest of his drink and stood up. "Mmm. Oh. Now that you've heard what I have to say, places to be, vampires to behead."

"You got a line on vamps?" Dean asked curiously.

Ketch smirked slightly. "I do. Interested?"

~/~\~

"Damn," Pierce walked over to Sam, Angela, Mary, and Robert. "Sam and Angela Winchester. Rufus told me all about you guys. See, him and me worked a case together down the Atchafalaya."

"We heard." Angela nodded.

"I tell ya, sure do miss that crotchety old son of a bitch." Pierce chuckled.

"Pierce? Mary? Robert?" Alton called out. "A question."

Mick walked over to Sam and Angela as Pierce, Robert, and Mary went to talk to Alton.

"So? Thoughts on our little operation?" Mick asked.

"Mm-hmm." Sam nodded.

"And our team?"

"Serena and Alton seem smart," Angela admitted. "Pierce," she scoffed. "You know he calls himself 'The Hunter King of Baton Rouge?'"

"I do." Mick nodded. "Unfortunately."

"A buddy of ours knew him. They worked together." Sam recalled. "Once."

"Right, you see, truth is, Mary and Robert excepted, we've struggled to attract the, uh, top shelf of American hunters," Mick explained. "Like you two."

~/~\~

_Wichita, Kansas_

Dean pulled up to the More Rest Hotel in the Impala while Ketch pulled up on his motorcycle.

"So, what do we got?" Dean asked as he got out of the car.

"10 bloodsuckers, give or take," Ketch answered.

"Two against 10," Dean muttered as he opened the trunk. "I like those odds."

"Yeah, the sun'll be down in an hour, so we should move fast," Ketch noted. "Keep the rats from fleeing the ship."

Dean eyed Ketch's large gun and silencer. "Fancy."

"You're right. This is too easy. Got another of those?" he gestured to Dean's machete.

Dean looked around and grabbed a second machete, and handed it to Ketch. "Ready?"

"Always."

~/~\~

Dean and Ketch walked inside the hotel and looked around.

"Place seems empty," Dean commented.

"Yes. Curious."

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, Mary, Robert, and Grace walked through the hallway as people started to pack their weapons.

"This is why Mary and I asked you to come," Robert started. "Even if you want no part of it, you needed to know."

"So, it wasn't a sales pitch?" Sam asked. "Ha. 'Cause it was a good one."

~/~\~

_Wichita, Kansas_

"I checked the areas upstairs," Dean started. "This place is a ghost town. You got anything?"

"Indeed," Ketch grunted as he dragged a female vampire out. "I found her hiding in the basement with the corpses."

"Let me go!" the vampire cried.

"Where are your friends?" Ketch demanded, punching her when he got no answer.

"I don't know."

"Where are they?" Ketch growled. "Tell…" he punched her again. "Me… Now." He continued to hit her.

"Okay. All right, that's enough." Dean intervened.

"Enough?" Ketch scoffed indignantly. "She's a monster."

"I know. Just—let me." Dean replied before kneeling down across from the vampire. "You're gonna need to tell us where your friends are."

"And you'll let me go?" she asked hopefully.

"I'll make it quick."

The vampire swallowed heavily. "Hunting. They went hunting."

"Hunting whom?" Ketch questioned.

"The hunters."

~/~\~

Serena sat in front of the surveillance screen and frowned. "Where's McGillicuddy?"

Suddenly, a body slammed into the camera's view and Serena screamed.

"What's happening?" Mick asked.

"It's the More Rest vampires," Mary replied. "They're here."

"We gotta lock this place down, ASAP," Sam commanded.

Mary took out her walkie-talkie. "Fall back."

"Lock this place down now!" Angela yelled.

"Fall back," Mary repeated into the intercom. "Secure all exits. Do not engage. Fall back now."

~/~\~

Sam and Mary were taking on the vampires outside and Mary swiftly cut one's head off.

"Nice." Sam praised.

Mary went to kill another vampire, but Sam stopped her.

"Wait! Wait."

~/~\~

In the conference room, Sam secured the vampire they captured to the chair.

"Doors locked?" Pierce asked.

"For now," Robert replied.

"The rest, they're spreading out, surrounding the building," Alton commented.

"How'd they find us? How'd they even know who we are?" Mick asked aloud.

The vampire laughed sinisterly. "He told us. He's back to save us all. Our father."

"Your father?" Sam's brows shot up. "The—the Alpha?"

"No, that's impossible," Serena argued. "Our intel has him in—in Morocco. He's been there for at least a decade."

"Wrong." Angela shook her head. "Sammy and I met him five years ago in Hoople, North Dakota."

"You're dead. You're all dead!" the vampire laughed manically before Robert decapitated him.

"Your, uh, extermination plan, did it have any contingencies for this?" Sam asked.

"No." Mick breathed out.

"Comm's still out," Serena commented. "What about a scrying spell? If we can get a message to England—

"No, we can't wait for backup." Angela adjusted Grace on her hip.

"No, she's right. This place was not built for defense." Mary added. "And those doors will not hold long. Okay. Who here has ever killed anything?" she asked, sighing heavily when only Pierce raised his hand. "Great."

"All right, we gotta arm up. Everybody, weapons on the table." Sam instructed. "Blades, guns, spells… Is this it?"

"Yeah." Mick nodded.

"That's not enough." Mary scoffed.

"Most of our weapons are in the Armory, including the AVD," Mick replied.

"We could set it off in the vents," Mary suggested. "Maximize coverage, use the gas like the bug bomb."

"Will that kill the Alpha?" Mick asked.

"Kill? Doubt it." Angela scoffed. "Hurt? Maybe. You got anything stronger?"

Mick looked over at Mary and Robert for a moment.

"Where is it?" Robert demanded.

Mick walked over and grabbed a case that he brought over to the conference table. He opened the case, revealing the Colt. Sam and Angela inhaled deeply.

"Where'd you get this?" Angela asked evenly.

"We stole it," Robert answered. "From Ramiel."

"Yeah, but it doesn't work," Mick muttered. "We've no bullets."

"Right. Right." Sam sniffed. "Right, um. Okay. We make some then. Baby, you remember that recipe, right?"

"Sure do," Angela set Grace down on one of the chairs and grabbed a piece of paper. "Thank god for Bobby."

"Singer?" Robert's brows furrowed.

"Yup." Angela nodded. "All right, Mick, we're gonna need holy oil, sage, and myrrh. Do you have that here?"

"Yeah." Mick nodded.

"Okay, we're gonna make the tincture and coat a silver bullet. Then we're gonna use this spell." Angela instructed. "It'll mimic the original etchings."

"And that'll work."

Sam scoffed. "It better. If not, start praying, 'cause we'll need a miracle. Where's the Armory?"

"We'll take you," Mary replied.

"I got your back," Pierce added.

"Okay," Sam nodded before turning to Angela. "You got this covered?"

"You know it," Angela assured. "Be safe. Don't die."

Sam leaned down and kissed her deeply. "Keep the door locked. I love you."

"I love you, too." Angela smiled.

Grace got off the chair and hugged Sam's leg. "Love you, daddy."

"I love you, too, Peanut." Sam ruffled her hair.

~/~\~

"This way!" Mary yelled as they ran down the hallway. "The Armory's out there!"

The door beep and unlocked, and a group of vampires tried to rush in. Sam and Robert held them off, blocking the door.

"Is there another way?" Pierce asked. "Is there another way?!"

"Back there!"

"Go!" Robert yelled. "Sam and I got 'em."

"Come on, come on, come on!" Pierce yelled.

~/~\~

"All right, let's get this spell going," Angela muttered. "Signum est im—imitandum. Signum est imitandum."

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

"It's me!" Pierce called out. "Open the damn door!"

The door beeped and unlocked.

"What happened?" Alton asked.

"It's bad out there," Pierce started as the Alpha stabbed Alton in the back with his claws. "Pretty bad in here, too, huh?"

"No," Serena growled as she raised her knife and charged at the Alpha.

The Alpha grabbed Serena roughly and sunk his teeth into her neck, draining her dry.

"Pierce!" Mick exclaimed as he stepped protectively in front of Angela and Grace. "You're a hunter."

"Yes." The Alpha cut in. "My hunter. Pierce and I have an arrangement. He keeps me off the radar, and I pay him very, very well."

"Alimony's a bitch." Pierce shrugged.

"I'm old," the Alpha continued. "I like living quietly. You've been making my life awfully noisy lately. You've killed so many of my children. I've seen your work. In England, I didn't get involved because, well, it's England. But America, yes. America is my home. And it's time that you get off my lawn."

~/~\~

Sam and Robert found Mary collapsed in the Armory.

"Mom?" Sam asked worriedly. "Mom. Mom, hey. Are you all right?"

"Sam. Robert." Mary breathed out.

"Mary, what happened?" Robert's brows furrowed.

"We have to go," Mary stressed.

"Yeah, right," Sam grunted as he helped Mary up. "I got you."

~/~\~

"Here's what you're going to do," the Alpha started. "We will bring your communications back online. You will make a call to your superiors in London. You'll admit defeat. You will tell them to cancel this American incursion. Then they'll watch as I devour you, live, onscreen. Hmm, yes, it's a bit messy, but sometimes one does have to make a point."

Mary, Sam, and Robert entered and Mary hit pierce over the head with the base of her machete.

"Don't!" Sam warned as he aimed the Colt at the Alpha.

"Ah, my, my." The Alpha chuckled. "The Colt. Powerful weapon. Sam, you are aware that there are five creatures on this Earth that gun cannot kill. I'm one of them."

"If that were true, I'd be dead already," Sam argued.

"That gun can't save all of you."

"Who said I was here to save all of us?" Sam retorted. "My family and I, we kill vamps when they get out of line. And you've let us."

"I have many children, Sam. What's one, two, here or there?" the Alpha shrugged.

"Exactly. So? Let me, my wife, my daughter, mom, and Robert go." Sam bargained. "We'll walk away, go back to the way things were, to the way things are supposed to be. Hunters and vampires, cops and robbers, a fair fight."

"And the Brit?"

"You can have him."

"Sam," Mary frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Picking a side." Sam answered.

"You bastard." Mick lunged toward Sam.

Mary and Robert took the chance to lunge at the Alpha, who knocked them aside.

"Mom!"

"Dad!" Angela cried as she held Grace protectively.

"Mommy, 'm scared." Grace cried.

"I know, baby, I know." Angela comforted.

"Sam, you and I both know that gun isn't loaded." The Alpha chastised.

"You sure?" Sam chuckled.

"The gun can't save all of you." The Alpha warned.

"Who said I was here to save all of us?" Sam retorted.

"Bastard." Mick scoffed.

"No," the Alpha laughed. "Clever, clever boy."

Sam fired the Colt and the bullet went straight through the Alpha's head, killing him instantly.

"You okay, baby?" Sam asked.

"I'm good. We're good." Angela assured, rushing over to Sam.

~/~\~

"Mick. Mick," Mary walked back into the meeting room. "All clear out there. Took out a few stragglers. The rest must've run when we dropped the Alpha. Come on."

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, Mary, Robert, and Grace were in the parking bay where Dean and Ketch had arrived.

"Where were you?" Mick hissed at Ketch.

"Following orders," Ketch shrugged.

"That's not," Mick sighed heavily. "People died."

"Yes. Well, I don't know how it is in your ivory tower, but down here in the muck, people die." Ketch retorted. "The old men want the Winchesters, so I made a play for Dean, and it was working until your operation went sideways. Ah, well." He patted Mick's arm. "Better luck next time."

Meanwhile, Dean, Sam, Angela, Grace, Mary, and Robert stood off at the other side of the bay with Baby.

"So, 'went out, back later,' huh?" Dean raised his brows at Sam and Angela.

"Just getting a drink, huh?" Angela retorted.

"I was with him when we heard this place as under attack," Dean replied. "We drove like a bat out of hell."

"How come?" Sam's brows furrowed. "I mean, you don't care for these guys. You didn't even know Angie, Grace, and I were here." He added as Dean looked hard at Mary. "Ah, right, of course."

"When I thought something might've happened to you," Dean told Mary. "Nothing else mattered."

"Dean, the things I said—

"No, Mom, you were… it's not your job to make my lunch and kiss me good night." Dean replied. "It's—We're adults. You're gonna make your own choices, even if I don't like 'em. Even if I really, really don't like 'em. That's just something I'm gonna have to get used to. Okay, Mom?"

"Yeah," Mary whispered.

~/~\~

Ketch dragged Pierce, who was in chains, toward a vehicle.

"Where you takin' him?" Sam questioned.

"We have ways of dealing with hunters who go rogue. They aren't pleasant."

"Good." Sam and Mary replied simultaneously.

~/~\~

Mick called Sam off to the side of the bay.

"Sam," he started. "If you hadn't been there tonight—

"Yeah, we got the kill. That's what matters." Sam interrupted.

"Hardly an advertisement for the British Men of Letters, though." Mick scoffed. "Or my leadership. Caught unaware with our proverbial pants down. Believe it or not, Sam, we're not—

"I'm in." Sam cut Mick off. "Look, tonight was bad, no doubt, but the Alpha Vampire is dead. You're changing the world, and I wanna be a part of it."

"And your wife and brother?" Mick quired a brow.

"Give me some time," Sam assured.


	29. Somewhere Between Heaven & Hell Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam and Dean walked into the bunker's library, having just got home from back-to-back hunts. Grace ran into the library and Angela followed behind her daughter, having decided to stay home.

"Hoo-hoo!" Dean laughed as Sam groaned. "Back to back to back. That was one for the books."

"Yeah," Sam scoffed.

"Daddy! Unca Dean!" Grace exclaimed happily.

"Hey babe," Angela leaned up to peck Sam on the lips.

"Unca Dean, you're stinky." Grace wrinkled her nose.

"Hey, you don't smell great all the time either, Princess." Dean teased. "Man," he held up a bloodied barbed wire-wrapped baseball bat. "Dad would have loved this thing." He dropped the bat to the table.

"Dude, on the—on the—

Dean, covered in blood and gore, sat down at the table and sighed heavily.

"No, don't, don't, don't, don't! Don't s—

"Dean, I just cleaned up in here!" Angela complained.

"Yeah, mommy and I did chores." Grace smiled sweetly.

"Dean, you're covered in ghoul, man, and—and—and wraith." Sam scoffed in disgust. "You… you have a piece of siren in your hair."

Dean pulled the bit of siren out of his hair and made a disgusted noise before he laughed while examining it. "Gross." He flicked the bit of siren across the room.

"Dean, what did I just say?" Angela demanded.

"Sorry, Angie," Dean mumbled.

"Dude, why don't you take a shower and change your clothes," Sam suggested. "You've been wearing the same pair of boxers for four days."

"Okay, one, weird that you know how much underwear I packed."

"That's what's weird about this?" Sam muttered.

"And B, it's two and two. Doesn't count if you flip 'em inside out." Dean winked and clicked his tongue.

Suddenly, Sam's cell phone chimed and he pulled it out of his pocket to check the message. "Got another case."

"Really?" Angela's brows rose.

"Already? How'd you do that?" Dean asked.

"Same as the others. I-I made a computer algorithm that scrapes the data from police scanners, emergency calls, uh, local news sites, and then it puts everything through a h—

Dean just stared blankly at Sam.

"The computer told me." Sam cleared his throat.

"Computers," Dean chuckled. "Monsters, porn. Is there anything they can't do? All right." He hit the tabletop. "Well, let's get to it, then."

"Yeah, that's fine. And, dude, um… after you get cleaned up."

"I got baby wipes in the car."

"Dude," Sam scoffed.

"Dean, you smell like roadkill." Angela deadpanned.

"That's 'cause I do all the heavy lifting," Dean smirked.

"You—alright." Sam huffed.

Dean got up and started walking out of the library. "I'm using that fancy shampoo you keep hidden from me."

~/~\~

_Sheridan County, Nebraska_

The Impala pulled up to the crime scene. Sam was on the phone with Mary and Dean was on the phone with Castiel, and Grace was in the back seat playing with her dolls.

"Oh, really?" Dean asked.

"Oh, that's great, Mom. Oh. No, we're—we're fine. We, uh…"

"It sounds like somethin'," Dean told Castiel.

"Yeah. Love you, too." Sam said.

"All right, Cas. Let us know."

The brothers hung up and they all got out of the car. Sam took Grace out of her car seat and held her on his hip.

"You first." Dean looked at Sam.

"Mom and Robert just finished working a haunting in Akron."

"The Brits?" Angela asked.

"Yeah."

"Great." Dean scoffed. "Who you gonna call? Douchebusters."

"What about you?"

"That was Cas. He's in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Someone's killing angels. Again."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were led to the crime scene by the sheriff.

"You ask me," the sheriff started. "A bear got him. Maybe a cougar. Found a fair amount of blood over here and some there, but no body. Figure whatever did this dragged him off. So, unless you guys are lookin' to make a federal case on some critters…"

"Sir, you said there was a survivor," Angela commented.

"Yeah, Gwen Hernandez. Uh, but she's pretty shaken up, saying all sorts of strange things."

"Like what?" Angela inquired.

"Like that they were attacked by a wolf—an _invisible_ wolf." The sheriff chuckled. "Girl says that, you know, it came outta nowhere and that it's coming after her next."

"Right." Dean nodded as the sheriff laughed. "Sheriff, thank you."

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked the scene and conferred.

"Invisible dog, huh?" Dean muttered. "Sounds like a hellhound to me."

~/~\~

The Impala pulled up to Gwen's house and the three hunters got out. Angela took Grace out of her car seat and held her hand as they walked.

"This is dumb." Dean scoffed. "It's a dumb idea."

"Listen, Gwen saw something kill her boyfriend, and she thinks it's coming for her next," Sam explained. "We just gotta tell her—

"Tell her what?" Dean interrupted. "No, seriously, Sam, what are you gonna say? 'Hi, my name is Sam Winchester. This is my wife Angie and my much handsomer brother Dean. We hunt monsters. Oh, and that guy you were banging? We're pretty sure he made a deal with a demon, so a hellhound came and dragged his soul to Hell. But you? You're cool. And since there's nothing around for us to kill, peace out.'"

"You done?" Sam asked. "Yeah, we don't say that. We'll say something that'll give her peace. You know, help her sleep at night."

"Oh, so we lie?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. A lot." Sam replied as he rang the doorbell.

"Daddy, lying is bad." Grace frowned.

Sam pursed his lips. "You're right, Peanut. You shouldn't lie."

Gwen opened the door, and unbeknownst to everyone, the hellhound stood behind the hunters.

"Gwen Hernandez?" Angela asked. "Uh, Agents D'Amico, Baker, and Clapton. FBI. May we come in?"

"I… I don't want any…"

"We just wanna talk. That's all. About Marcus." Sam replied gently.

Gwen hesitantly let them in, and the hellhound followed behind them.

"Uh, you can have a seat."

"Grace, why don't you sit down and play with your dolls?" Angela suggested.

"'Kay mommy."

"Right. Gwen," Sam started as they all sat down. "Uh, we're here today because we, uh, we know what you told the police, that you feel like something… supernatural is after you. But we've concluded our investigation, and the thing that killed your boyfriend—

"Was a bear." Dean interrupted.

"Was a bear." Sam nodded. "Now, we found it and put it down. So, you're no longer in any kind of danger, okay?"

Gwen frowned deeply. "I don't… I-I know what I saw."

"Gwen, when you go through a traumatic experience, sometimes your mind can make things up," Angela explained.

"Get out."

"Sorry?" Angela frowned.

"Get out of my house," Gwen demanded.

"Okay, calm down We're just trying to help," Dean assured.

"I don't need your help! I know what I saw."

"Gwen—

Gwen stood up angrily. "Get out!"

"Okay." Dean nodded.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace left the house.

"Oh, yeah. She's gonna sleep like a baby." Dean sassed.

Gwen watched through the window as they all got in the Impala, and the hellhound watched her, growling.

~/~\~

Gwen watched the invisible claws gouge the floor, and screamed as the hellhound barked and snarled at her, chasing her from the room. She attempted to barricade herself in another room but the hellhound barged in and pinned her to the floor, clawing beside her head as she screamed. Sam, Dean, and Angela heard her screams and entered, shooting at the invisible hellhound. Dean hit it and it yelped in pain before it jumped through the window.

"Hey, hey," Angela helped Gwen up. "It's okay. You're gonna be okay. All right?"

~/~\~

Angela brought Grace in from the Impala and sat down next to Sam at Gwen's table.

"Gwen, that, um, that thing was a hellhound," Sam explained.

"A… what?"

"Hellhound. Kind of hard to explain. Uh, basically, giant, invisible hounds from Hell. Huh. Wasn't hard at all." Dean chuckled.

"So, you guys are not cops, are you?" Gwen asked.

"No, not exactly. Um… my name is Sam," he introduced. "This is my wife Angie and that's my brother Dean. And we hunt monsters."

"And we've tangled with hellhounds in the past," Dean added. "Goofer dust'll keep 'em out. A demon knife or an angel blade, that'll kill 'em."

"Uh… wait, why did you tell me that Marcus got killed by a bear?"

"Make you feel better," Dean replied, pointing at Sam. "It was his idea."

"Dean," Angela warned using her 'mom voice.'

"Listen," Sam started. "I know this sounds insane—

"It does." Gwen nodded. "But… like I said, I know what I saw. And what I saw was insane."

"Right." Sam nodded. "Now this is awkward, but, um… hellhounds only come after people who sold their souls… to a demon."

"So, about 10 years ago, did you really want something?" Dean asked. "Like… I don't know, a Hello Kitty backpack or the death of an enemy?"

"No."

"What about Marcus?" Angela asked. "Did he… would he—

"No," Gwen repeated.

"Hmm." Dean hummed. "Great. So, what the hell?"

"Don't know," Angela muttered. "But I do know who we can ask."

~/~\~

Angela had her phone on speaker and waited for Crowley to pick up.

 _"Bambi,"_ Crowley greeted. _"What do you want?"_

"Crowley, I understand that you might still be upset about the whole, uh…"

 _"Upset?"_ Crowley scoffed. _"No. I'm totally over how you and your little band of misfits sent my son back in time… to die!"_

Angela took Crowley off speaker, because the conversation seemed to be weirding out Gwen.

"Okay, look, that was totally Gavin's call. All right? You know what? We have a situation here."

 _"Oh, well, in that case… Bye."_ Crowley replied.

"Hellhounds, Crowley," Angela stressed. "One of your mutts is going after folks who didn't sell their souls."

_"Not possible."_

"You sure about that?" Angela asked.

 _"My hounds… You have anything to tell me?"_ Crowley could be heard asking his demons.

_"Well… we didn't want to bother you… It was Ramsey. She got out, my lord."_

_"Have the kennel guards killed. Painfully."_ Crowley instructed before returning to the call. _"I'll be right…"_

Suddenly, Crowley appeared in Gwen's living room.

"Here." He smirked.

"Mm." Sam rolled his eyes.

"You miss me?" Crowley asked.

"Hi Mr. Crowley." Grace waved innocently.

~/~\~

"You have to understand, this isn't just a hellhound, this is the hellhound."

"That means what?" Sam asked.

"Right after God said, 'Let there be light,' he—he made a whole bunch of things—posies, koalas, hellhounds," Crowley explained. "He wanted The Creator's best friend, but the hounds were too vicious. So, he planned on having them all put down, until along came our favorite fallen angel. He rescued one of the hounds—a pregnant bitch named Ramsey."

"Why don't you just tell her to heel?" Dean questioned.

"I can't control her. No one can. She's loyal only to Lucifer."

"Wait, like the Devil?" Gwen scoffed in disbelief.

"Yeah, but he's locked in a cage," Dean replied nonchalantly.

"Oh. Good."

"Yeah. All right, so where is Fido now?"

"Well, if I had to hazard a guess, I would say huddled up in some nice, warm den." Crowley shrugged.

"Well, why is she after Gwen?" Angela asked.

"Ask her." Crowley gestured at Gwen.

"I… I don't… um… When it attacked us, I did hit it. With an ax."

"Well, there you go. The bitch does tend to hold a grudge. So, we either kill Ramsey, or the hound eats her." Crowley clapped his hands together. "Fun."

"Wait a second," Sam frowned. "We?"

"Pup like that out and about is not good for business. Makes it look like I'm not in control. But that mutt's head mounted on my wall? Good for the brand. So, yes, Moose. For now, 'we.'"

"Great." Dean scoffed. "So, we have a hellhound who's gunning for revenge, and it's personal. Ah. Just when I thought this gig couldn't get any weirder…"

Crowley chuckled. "Oh. It can _always_ get weirder."


	30. Somewhere Between Heaven & Hell Part 2

The Impala was parked in the woods near the crime scene and Dean dug through the trunk.

"So, hellhounds are invisible to humans… unless you sold your soul, and they're after you," Dean explained.

"Or, uh, you're wearing a pair of these." Sam held up a pair of glasses. "They're glasses treated with holy fire."

"All right, Crowley and I are gonna hit the woods, see if we can't track down Cujo. You stick with Sam and Angie." Dean instructed. "They'll keep you safe."

"Okay." Gwen nodded as she got into the back seat next to Grace.

"Take care of her." Dean looked at Sam.

"Of course," he nodded. "Dean, look, even if Ramsey circles back, as long as we keep moving, Gwen's gonna be just…"

"He's talking about the car, babe," Angela informed.

"You tend to ride the breaks, Sammy."

"Dean, I know how to drive." Sam rolled his eyes.

"I'm just saying." Dean shrugged. "Okay, just imagine she's a… a beautiful woman. Imagine she's Angie!"

"Dean, I know you did _not_ just compare me to your car." Angela scoffed.

"Oh, come on, Dean. Get out of here." Sam muttered. "I'm done."

Sam and Angela got into the Impala and the engine roared to life.

"Sam…" Dean tried.

"Ew." Crowley stared at Dean.

"Come on." Dean rolled his eyes.

Dean and Crowley headed down a trail labeled 'Sica Hollow,' apparently followed by Ramsey.

~/~\~

Dean and Crowley were walking through the forest looking for Ramsey. Dean was wearing his holy fire glasses, refusing to look at Crowley.

"Fancy," Crowley commented on Dean's glasses. "Really brings out your eyes."

"Shut up." Dean retorted.

"Shut up." Crowley mocked.

Dean rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I mean it, Crowley."

"I mean it, Crowley." He copied.

"Go to Hell."

"Go to Hell." Crowley mimicked. "Really, Dean, all these years, you're so predictable."

"Yeah, well, I guess we've all changed. I got predictable. You got soft." Dean replied. "I mean, a few years ago, who'd have thought you'd be helping us save the girl of the week?"

"I don't care about her." Crowley scoffed.

"Yeah, well, maybe we rubbed off on you."

"Don't flatter yourself."

"You saved Cas." Dean reminded.

"Just to spare myself the Winchester Manpain and Bambi's moping," Crowley argued. "You lot moping about like a bunch of schoolgirls."

"Well, I just wanna say thank you," Dean replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Or… a few years ago, who would've thought you'd be working with the King of Hell? Maybe you've rubbed off on me. Maybe I've rubbed off all over you." Crowley chuckled.

"Ugh." Dean shivered in disgust.

~/~\~

"I'm sorry," Gwen said from her place in the back seat as the Impala sped down the road.

Sam's brows furrowed in confusion. "For what?"

"This. It's all my fault."

"Gwen, this is not your fault," Angela assured.

"Yes, it is," Gwen stressed. "What happened to Marcus…" she closed her eyes as she flashed back to the attack. "Pull over. Please."

"Okay," Sam nodded as he pulled off to the side of the road.

~/~\~

"A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go…" Crowley sang.

"Crowley, shut up," Dean muttered.

"Heigh—

"Seriously." Dean hissed.

Dean spotted something off the path in the underbrush and they moved in closer to examine it. As they looked around, Dean noticed Marcus's body.

"Ramsey dragged him back… to her den," Crowley noted.

"Well, it's empty. So, where is she now?"

~/~\~

Gwen got back in the car and wiped her mouth.

"D'you wanna hold my Teddy?" Grace offered. "I always hold him when I'm sick."

Gwen smiled softly and held the teddy bear. "Thank you."

"You okay?" Sam asked gently.

"I…" Gwen sighed deeply. "I don't think I even know what 'okay' means anymore. Marcus… going camping was my idea. I took him out there even though I knew. I knew it was over. I liked Marcus. He was sweet and kind. And he loved me." She inhaled deeply. "More than I ever loved him. More than… If I'd just told him… If I… Why couldn't I just tell him the truth?"

"Gwen…" Angela started.

"Yeah, but I didn't." her voice cracked. "I lied. I lied to make things easier. I… I'm sorry. I… we should go."

Sam sighed deeply and nodded. "Right."

Sam was about to start the car when he saw Ramsey right in front of them.

"What?" Gwen asked.

"She's here," Sam replied.

Ramsey ran towards the Impala and growled as she jumped on the hood, smashing the windshield.

"It's okay. It's okay. Stay calm." Sam assured.

"Oh, my god!" Gwen cried.

"Daddy!" Grace exclaimed.

"All right," Sam muttered.

Ramsey growled and jumped to the trunk, denting it deeply.

"We should leave," Gwen suggested.

"No, no, no, Gwen." Sam shook his head. "I gotta take care of this. It's the only way she'll stop." He added as he pulled an angel blade out from behind his seat. "Angie, stay in the car with them. Stay in the car!"

"Be careful!" Angela stressed.

Sam got out of the car and confronted Ramsey. She leaped at him and pinned him to the ground, knocking off Sam's holy fire glasses.

"Crap," Angela muttered.

She grabbed the green cooler from the back seat and got out of the car. Angela clobbered Ramsey with the cooler, giving Sam time to get to his feet. He saw her footfalls raising dust and waited for her to jump again, then stabbed her with the angel blade, killing her.

"You should've stayed in the car," Sam turned to face Angela.

"You needed help," she shrugged.

"You're pregnant." Sam reminded.

Angela walked over and stood on her toes to kiss Sam softly. "The baby and I are fine. You, however… you were about to be puppy chow."

~/~\~

Dean surveyed the damage to the Impala while Sam, Angela, Grace, Gwen, and Crowley stood by.

"This is why you don't drive," Dean told Sam, earning a grunt from his younger brother.

"So… it's over?" Gwen asked.

"It's over." Crowley nodded.

Gwen smiled and hugged Crowley tightly. "Thank you."

"Yeah. Ah, dog dead. Must be going."

"Hey, Crowley," Sam started. "Wait a second. Um… thank you."

Crowley gave Sam a ghost of a smile before he disappeared. Sam scoffed and shook his head.

"He seems nice," Gwen noted.

"Yeah," Dean muttered as Sam cleared his throat. "Let's get in. Hopefully, it still runs."

~/~\~

_Lawrence, Kansas_

Sam, Dean, and Angela were walking down the bunker's stairs and Angela carried Grace, who was fast asleep. As they walked, Dean had Castiel on speaker.

"Cas, what's up?" Dean asked.

 _"Hey, I think I have a lead on Kelly Kline."_ Castiel's voice rang through.

"Yeah?"

_"She's with Dagon, Prince of Hell."_

"Okay, what do you know about him?" Angela asked.

 _"Actually, it's a her,"_ Castiel corrected. _"And not much. It's just rumors and stories. Dagon is mostly known for her psychotic savagery."_

"Great, so where's Kelly?" Sam inquired.

_"Well, she was in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Now, I'm not sure."_

"All right, well, we'll spread the word," Dean replied. "Let us know if you find anything."

 _"Of course,"_ Castiel assured before hanging up.

Dean frowned slightly as the phone went dead. "He sound weird to you?"

Sam's phone started buzzing and he turned away slightly to look at the call. He dismissed it once he saw that it was Mick.

"Is that your computer talking you again, babe?" Angela smirked lightly.

"Uh… No. Um… It's, uh… Mick Davies." Sam stammered.

"What?" Dean and Angela asked simultaneously.

"I don't have a computer program feeding me cases," Sam admitted. "I-I, uh… Gwen? Every job we've worked in the last two weeks?" he inhaled deeply. "They've come from the British Men of Letters."

"Really?" Angela pursed her lips.

"Yeah. I didn't tell you and Dean 'cause I know how much you guys hate them."

"No, we hate them. Us. Together." Dean reminded.

"I-I get that. Yeah, I do. But—but…" Sam sighed. "Because of Mick and his guys, the Alpha Vampire is dead. Angie, you were there. They get results. I don't like them either, but—but if—if we can save people, then it… Either way, I-I shouldn't have lied to you guys. And… I'm sorry. I-I…"

Dean and Angela looked at each other for a few moments.

"Well, okay." Angela nodded.

Sam's brows creased slightly. "Okay?"

"What do you want us to say? Do we like it? No. Do we trust them? Hell, no." Dean replied. "But you're right. We work with people we don't trust all the time. I mean, hell, I. just Liam Neeson'd it up with Crowley. So, if you wanna give this a shot, then…" Dean scoffed lightly. "Fine."

"But the minute—and I mean the second—something feels off, we bail," Angela added firmly.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Of course. Deal." He added as his phone buzzed again. "It's Mick."

"Pick it up." Dean shrugged.

"This is Sam," he answered the phone.


	31. Ladies Drink Free Part 1

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace were waiting, impatiently, in the British Men of Letters bunker.

"Mommy, I'm bored!" Grace whined.

"Grace," Angela warned. "You need to behave."

"All right, that's it. I'm waiting in the car." Dean muttered, looking down at Grace. "You wanna come with, Princess?"

"Yes please!"

"Dean, dude, wait a second." Sam stopped him.

"No. You know what? Getting jobs from these dicks is one thing," Dean started. "But I didn't sign up for this reporting for duty crap, especially when they're late."

"Sorry I'm late," Mick walked in as the door locked behind him. "My report to the home office ran long. We've had our hands full since…" he looked down at a bloodstain on the floor. "Well, best not to dwell on that."

"Wow." Dean scoffed. "That is some world-class repression. You are British."

"We prefer to call it a stiff upper lip."

"Okay, okay. Enough." Angela cut in.

"Mick, what's the deal with the bat signal?" Sam asked.

"There was an incident in Wisconsin," Mick handed Sam a gray folder. "A girl named Hayden Foster's in the hospital, and her brother lost his heart. Looks like a werewolf."

"Well, they don't usually leave behind survivors," Angela replied.

"Freak probably got spooked before it could finish the job," Dean muttered.

"Well, perhaps." Mick nodded. "But it usually takes more than a fright to put your average werewolf off his supper."

"Oh, you'd know that, would you?" Dean questioned.

"Actually, I would. I did extensive research into lycanthropy at Kendricks." Mick walked across the room and pulled two books from a cabinet.

"Kendricks?" Sam quirked a brow.

"The Kendricks School. It's where the British Men of Letters train their operatives. It's like our—

"Hogwarts?" Sam interrupted.

Mick placed one book on the table and handed one to Sam. "Exactly. Kendricks is the largest collection of occult lore in the world."

"Cool." Sam smiled slightly.

Sam looked to Dean and Angela enthusiastically, and Dean just remained unimpressed.

"So, when it comes to werewolves, I'm not entirely ignorant." Mick continued. "For example, we know that last night's attack didn't happen on a full moon. Therefore, we're looking for a pureblood."

"You think?" Dean scoffed. "It's like a milk run to me."

"Then you don't mind if I tag along?"

"Mick, um…" Sam trailed off. "Listen, I-I don't think… I don't think it's really your kind of thing."

"Oh, no, maybe it should be," Mick argued. "I had the best team, but most of us, we were thinkers, not fighters. And let's be honest—you, Angela, your mum, and Robert, you're the only reason I'm still alive."

"So, now you wanna be like us?" Dean asked.

"No. I just want to be ready for whatever's next."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace were in the hallway while Mick packed up the main room.

"Guys, he is dead weight, and you know it," Dean muttered.

"Look, Mick's inexperienced, sure." Sam nodded. "But these people have some serious knowledge."

"So? Dude, what we do, you can't learn this crap in a book. You put on a flannel, you pick up a gun, you go out there. Either you get good fast or you get dead faster."

"Well, we should at least give him a chance to learn." Angela shrugged.

"We're working with these people now and—and we're getting wins," Sam added. "We're saving people. The better they are, the better we are. Look, Mick held his own with the Alpha. Why not give him a shot? Maybe he'll come in handy."

"And what if he gets himself killed?"

"I heard that." Mick approached Dean.

"Good." Dean retorted. "If he's coming, you two are babysitting him."

~/~\~

The Impala sped down the dark road. Sam was shining a flashlight on the book Mick gave him whole Mick sat in the back seat with Grace, listening to a podcast on his phone.

_"In Luther's 27th thesis, the word 'jingle' is an obvious nod to a canny 15th-century monk…"_

"Daddy, this is boring," Grace complained.

"Gracie, don't be rude," Sam told his daughter.

"Had to let him listen to his podcast, huh?" Dean grumbled.

"Dude, it's educational." Sam retorted as Mick turned off the podcast. "And besides, I've been wanting to listen to this one."

"You know, monks like Martin Luther are among the earliest hunters," Mick commented. "He even wrote parts of that book you're holding."

"What?" Sam asked. "This lore dates back to the 16th century?"

"Yeah. Well, in Europe, everything's old." Mick shrugged. "Though we do have our fair share of new tricks for dealing with wolves—sulfate gas, silver nitrate lethal injection."

"Take a handful of silver bullets over any of that fancy crap," Dean muttered.

Mick sighed deeply. "Yes, well, thanks to that 'fancy crap,' Britain's last werewolf outbreak was in the '20s. We rooted them out, bitten and pureblood alike."

"Wait a second," Angela started. "You killed them all? Even the ones that weren't hurting anyone?"

"Sorry?" Mick frowned.

"I mean, werewolves aren't like most monsters," Angela replied. "Some can control it. I mean, we—we have a friend who got bit. Nothing but beef hearts ever since."

"And you trust him?" Mick scoffed. "Well, killing is a fundamental need for werewolves. And monsters don't just stop being monsters."

"Well, Garth did," Dean replied.

"Oh, turn here," Mick instructed.

~/~\~

_Wisconsin_

The Impala pulled in front of the 'Wild Elk Lodge.' Sam, Dean, Angela, and Mick got out of the car and Dean helped Grace out of her car seat.

"This place, uh, seems a little…" Sam trailed off.

"Shabby?" Mick finished. "Yeah. Three stars was the best I could do. Least our bean counters will be happy. Booked us all suites. Angie, you and Sam have your own, of course."

"Wait, you… We're in separate rooms?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, of course."

"Unca Dean, can we have a sleepover?" Grace asked excitedly.

"Hell yeah, kiddo." Dean nodded. "You say three stars?"

"Yeah." Mick nodded.

"So, we're talking fresh towels, little baby shampoos?"

"Uh-huh. And I believe there's a pool."

"Welcome, sir. Mm-hmm." The bellman opened the door.

"Cheers, mate." Mick smiled slightly.

Dean tossed the keys to Sam. "Get the bags. Let's go, Princess."

"Yay!" Grace beamed as she followed her uncle.

Sam grunted as he bobbled the keys while Angela just shook her head at Dean's antics. In the lobby of the hotel, Dean grabbed two fistfuls of mints and shoved them in his pocket.

~/~\~

The following morning, Sam, Angela, Dean, and Grace walked out of the hotel and stood outside.

"Thanks," Dean told the bellman. "Man. Those pillows, right? The little chocolates that they put on? I mean, I'm ruined. Those limey sons of bitches ruined me. Gracie and I even took a swim this morning."

"We didn't pack a swimsuit for Grace," Angela replied.

"We stopped by the store early this morning and got some," Dean replied. "Didn't we, Princess?"

"Yeah!" Grace nodded enthusiastically. "It was so fun!"

"What'd you two get up to?" Dean asked.

"I read through more of Mick's lore books." Sam shrugged.

"Really? Wow. Those three stars are wasted on you."

"Well, Sammy and I took advantage of our alone time," Angela smirked.

"Ugh." Dean wrinkled his nose.

"Baby…" Sam blushed slightly. "Anyways, listen to this. It's crazy. So, apparently, back in the '30s, they were working on this treatment for werewolves. This, like, blood therapy."

"Plasma therapy," Mick corrected as he joined the hunters. "Useless, I'm afraid. So, how were your accommodations?"

The Impala's engine could be heard purring as the valet pulled up to the front of the hotel.

"I've had a better night's sleep in my baby," Dean replied. "Get in. Let's go." He added before leaning over to Sam and Angela as Mick got in the car. "Not gonna give him the satisfaction."

~/~\~

A nurse was inside of Hayden's hospital room and Hayden's mom was at her bedside. Sam, Dean, Angela, Grace, and Mick approached the entrance to the room. The nurse walked out and Mick went to enter the room.

"Wait, wait," Sam stopped him. "Let us. Talking to a grieving family, it's tougher than you think."

"Oh, I'm a quick study," Mick assured.

"Well, good for you." Dean retorted sarcastically. "Okay, stay here, keep watch. Anything comes up… I don't know, whistle."

"Gracie and I will stay out here with you, Mick." Angela offered kindly.

~/~\~

"Ms. Foster?" Sam asked as he and Dean walked into the room. "Sorry to bother you. Agent McVie. This is my partner, Agent Fleetwood. Um, we'd like to ask your daughter a few questions."

"She's sleeping." Mrs. Foster replied.

"We'll be quick. Promise." Dean assured.

"I said no." Mrs. Foster replied firmly. "Hayden needs her rest. She's…"

Suddenly, Mick entered the room wearing a white doctor's coat.

"Good morning," he started. "And how is our patient today?"

Mrs. Foster's brows furrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry. Who are you?"

"Dr. Buckingham," Mick lied easily. "Hayden's attending doctor, Dr. Markum, asked me to look in on her. Um, would it be okay to ask you just to step outside for a moment?"

"I, um… Of course, Doctor." Mrs. Foster nodded.

"Sure." Sam pursed his lips.

"Thank you." Mick nodded.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Mrs. Foster walked out into the hallway. Angela walked up, carrying Grace.

"Sorry," Angela whispered to Sam. "Grace was getting antsy."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Mrs. Foster questioned.

"Agent Finn," Angela flashed her badge.

"Here. Please." Dean handed Mrs. Foster a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," she replied sincerely.

"No problem."

"I'm sorry, about all that." Mrs. Foster apologized.

"Oh, please. After what you've been through, you have no reason to apologize." Sam comforted.

"I just—I don't even know what my kids were doing out there." Mrs. Foster shook her head. "You know, Hayden was supposed to be sleeping at her friend's house, and—and Ben…" she inhaled sharply. "I just keep thinking this is a nightmare, you know? That I'm gonna wake up. I'm just glad the FBI is here, not those crazies."

"Crazies?" Angela quirked a brow.

"Bigfoot truthers." Mrs. Foster elaborated. "Calling, sending e-mails. They thought Hayden was… Like I said. Crazy."

"Huh," Dean muttered.

"Some girl even came by here saying she was from Fish and Wildlife Service." Mrs. Foster scoffed. "Barely as old as Hayden. I mean, like I'm gonna buy that."

"You remember what she looked like?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah. Blonde. Bad attitude." Mrs. Foster recalled. "I actually—I have her card right here."

"Thank you," Angela replied as she took the card.

Mick walked out of the room, joining everyone in the hallway.

"Is she…" Mrs. Foster trailed off.

"Wound's healing up nicely." Mick nodded. "Nothing too serious."

Mrs. Foster sighed in relief. "Oh, that's so—Thank you so much."

"Pleasure," Mick replied. "Excuse me."

Mrs. Foster nodded and went back into Hayden's room.

"Doc?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"So?"

"What Hayden bit?" Angela asked.

"No." Mick lied. "No, she's a lucky girl."

"Good. What about, uh, Fish and Wildlife Service?" Sam asked. "Think it's another hunter?"

"Who do we know that's young, blonde, and pissed off? I'm betting it's Claire." Angela replied.

~/~\~

Claire was texting Jody when suddenly one of her cell phones started ringing from inside her car. She eagerly rushed to answer it.

"Hello? Uh, this is Agent Beatrice Quimby."

 _"Oh, thank God,"_ Dean replied in an exaggerated Canadian accent. _"There's a bear. It's the size of a freakin' tank!"_ he exclaimed. _"I think it wants my pic-a-nic basket!"_ he imitated Yogi Bear.

"Mm-hmm." Claire rolled her eyes. "Hi, Dean."

~/~\~

Everyone sat in the lobby of the Great Elk Lodge. Grace sat next to Claire on one couch while Sam, Dean, and Angela sat across from them.

"So, Fish and Wildlife?" Dean quirked a brow. "Really?"

"Claire, what are you doing here?" Angela sighed heavily.

"Same as you," she shrugged. "Werewolf case."

Mick approached and placed four beer bottles on the table. "Now. Beers all around."

"Who are you?" Claire eyed him.

"Oh. Mick Davies," he reached out and shook Claire's hand before he sat down. "Men of Letters. British."

"Long story." Dean rolled his eyes. "And, like, 'Downton Abbey' boring, so…"

Claire leaned forward and reached for one of the beers. Dean leaned forward and snatched it from her.

"No. Unh-unh."

Claire huffed in annoyance. "Okay. Anyway… I've been on this a day. And guess what? The girl, Hayden? Her story about what happened the night of the attack? One big lie."

"Her mom said the same thing." Sam nodded.

"Where was she?" Angela asked.

"She was at the local dive bar, getting' trashed. I tracked her phone and asked around, and… Bartenders love me. It's a gift."

"Right," Sam muttered. "You get anything else?"

"The guy I talked to was a scumbag." Claire scoffed. "Tribal tat, motorcycle, grabby."

"Grabby?" Dean asked protectively.

"I'm a big girl. I handled it."

Mick stood up and set down his beer. "Right. Think I'm gonna call it a night."

"D-dude," Sam checked his watch. "It's 5:30."

"Yeah, but my report's due at 6:00 sharp. All work, no play." Mick shrugged before turning to Claire. "Nice to meet ya."

Claire watched as Mick left and snorted lightly. "So, your foreign exchange student is totally lame."

"Yeah. He's Sam's best friend." Dean replied, earning a deep sigh from his brother. "They're like nerd soulmates."

"Anyway, why are you alone?" Sam changed the subject.

"Jody's busy with sheriff stuff," Claire replied. "And she said to call if I found anything."

"So, you called her?" Angela asked.

"You called first." Claire retorted. "And she's great, by the way. And so is Alex. So, should we go to the morgue?"

"Take it easy, Clarice. Morgue's closed." Dean replied.

"By the way, when's the last time you had a hot meal that didn't come from a Gas-n-Sip microwave?" Angela asked.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that," Dean muttered.

"It's been a while," Claire admitted.

"Well…" Dean handed Claire a menu. "Go nuts. It's on, uh, Harry Potter."

Claire laughed slightly. "Cool."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, Mick, Claire, and a doctor were in Hayden's hospital room, while Grace sat on the other side of the curtain so that she wasn't looking at Hayden's body.

"Thanks for coming by so quickly," the doctor started. "Mrs. Foster gave us your number."

"You have any idea what happened to her?" Dean asked.

"Autopsy's tomorrow, but it could be an arterial embolism, cardiac arrest."

Angela's brows shot up. "A heart attack at her age?"

"It gets weirder," the doctor pursed his lips. "When we admitted her, she had defensive wounds to her arms. Now…" he pulled back the white sheet to expose her arms. "They're gone."

Suddenly, the doctor's cell phone started ringing and he took it out of his pocket.

"Just, uh, give me a second."

"Sure." Sam nodded as the doctor left.

"Okay… what the hell?" Claire asked.

"You checked Hayden out," Dean turned to Mick. "Did you notice anything weird?"

"No, but, uh, the girl could've had internal injuries or…"

Angela eyed Mick slightly, sensing that something was off with him.

"But somehow, her external injuries all healed? No way." Sam shook his head. "This is almost like, uh… You know, what if she turned?"

"What, like, 'wolfed out' turned?" Dean asked.

"Explains the whole Wolverine healing factor thing." Claire shrugged.

"Yeah, no, but that'd be crazy because that means she would've been bit. And Mick here says that that didn't happen." Angela replied, looking over at Mick. "Right?"

Mick swallowed nervously. "Uh… Uh, no, not—not that I saw."

"Are you 100-percent?" Sam questioned.

"Unless I made a mistake," Mick muttered.

"Hell of a mistake." Dean scoffed.

"Dean…" Sam warned.

"No, I told you guys we shouldn't have dragged him along. I told you!" Dean snapped.

"Don't!" Claire exclaimed. "Whatever got Hayden is still out there."

"Claire's right." Angela nodded. "Let's say the night of the attack, wolf ices big bro, chomps down on little sis, and then… poof, vanishes? Does that make any sense?"

"Maybe he let her go," Sam suggested.

"On purpose? Why?" Claire asked.

"Perhaps he didn't want her dead," Mick answered. "He wanted her turned."

"Right." Sam nodded. "Which means this wasn't random."

"Which means it would've been somebody who knew her." Dean deduced. "Friends, family."

"Or someone from the bar," Claire added.

"Okay," Dean pursed his lips. "All right, Sam, you and Claire, you go talk to the girl she was supposed to be crashing with, and me, Angie, and amateur hour will hit the bar, see what shakes loose."

~/~\~

Sam and Claire were sitting in the front of her car while Grace sat in her car seat in the back. Claire was fishing around and pulled her headphones from the back seat.

"So…" Sam sighed. "Really? Things are good?"

"Yeah," Claire placed her headphones around her neck. "They're awesome."

"Really? You sure?"

"Dude, take the yes."

Sam sighed again. "Okay."

"So, you wait here," Claire told Sam.

"What?" his brows furrowed.

"Sam, no offense, but who do you think the kids are gonna wanna talk to? Me, or some old skeezer?" Clair asked, earning an offended look from Sam. "Exactly. Be right back."

Claire got out of the car and walked toward the high school.

"Skeezer?" Sam muttered to himself.

~/~\~

Dean, Angela, and Mick were walking along the sidewalk toward the bar.

"What happened back there…" Mick broke the tension. "My mistake, it won't happen again."

"Better not," Dean replied.

Mick went to open the door but pulled his hand back, sighing.

"Problem?" Angela quirked a brow.

"The old carpal tunnel," Mick muttered.

Dean rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Well, allow me, your lordship."

"Thanks."

Dean opened the door and he, Angela, and Mick walked into the dingy bar. The bartender was unpacking bottles of alcohol from a box.

"Howdy," Agent flashed his FBI badge. "Agents Strummer and Finn. This is Agent Val."

"Uh, hi," the bartender replied.

Mick placed his phone on the bar, which had a picture of Hayden on it. "Do you recognize this girl? She was here three nights ago."

"Yeah. Not really."

Angela eyed the bartender. "Yeah, I'd lie if I served underage girls, too."

"Look, I…" the bartender sighed. "I really need this job. I… She started coming in a few weeks ago after Conner got hired."

"Conner?" Mick asked.

"Yeah, the other bartender. They're having a thing."

"What kind of thing?" Dean questioned.

The door opened and a man in a white t-shirt walked around the bar. He had a large, tribal-type tattoo on his neck.

"Ask him." The bartender shrugged.

"Hi, Conner," Dean greeted. "Oh. Nice ink. So, you like high school girls, do you? Hmm? You get older, they stay the same age. Is that it?"

"That's not how it was." Conner sighed heavily.

~/~\~

Dean, Angela, Mick, and Conner were sitting at one of the bar tables.

"Oh, so you weren't dating Hayden Foster?" Mick asked.

"Dating?" Conner scoffed. "No, I let her in from time to time. She is stupid hot. Okay? But that's it. I swear."

"And the night she got attacked, did you let her in that night, too?" Angela asked.

"Look, I don't know what happened," Conner replied. "I was behind the bar the whole night. I didn't even see her leave."

"Hmm," Dean hummed. "And then what'd you do?"

"Guess I went home." Conner shrugged.

"You guess?" Angela raised her brows. "Well, it's a simple question, Conner. I ask what you were doing, then you tell me. For instance, what were you doing last night?" she turned to look at Mick.

"Me?" Mick frowned.

"Yeah." Angela nodded.

"Oh, I was writing my report."

"And then?"

"Well, I watched an episode of 'The Great British Bake Off' and went to bed." Mick shrugged.

"See?" Angela looked back at Conner. "Simple."

"I went home, lady," Conner replied defensively. "And I didn't do anything to that girl, okay?"

"Yeah. Well, we'll see." Dean got up before he turned back toward Conner. "Oh, one more thing. Um… Did you happen to meet a, uh, blonde girl the other night? About yay high. Feisty?"

"Yeah, yeah. Said she was Hayden's cousin." Conner nodded. "Crazy bitch threw a beer at me."

"Huh. Well, from what I heard, you earned it."

"What are you, her dad?" Conner scoffed. "Dude, come on. Girls like that?"

"Yeah," Dean pursed his lips. "You ever touch her again, I'll break your face."

Dean, Angela, and Mick left the bar and walked down the sidewalk.

"Nice work in there," Angela looked at Mick.

"Thank you. Yeah, that alibi—

"I almost bought it." Angela interrupted.

"Sorry?" Mick frowned in confusion.

Angela and Dean stopped walking and they both turned toward Mick, stopping him in his tracks.

"See, here's the thing about 16-year-old girls," Dean narrowed his eyes. "Especially 16-year-old freshly minted werewolf girls—they don't just die."

"And you've been acting sketchy all day," Angela added.

"Oh, I don't know what you're talking about."

Angela grabbed Mick's shoulder and squeezed hard.

"Oh!" Mick groaned in pain.

"What did you do to her?" Dean demanded.

"I did what needed to be done," Mick replied vaguely.

"And that means?" Angela pushed on the wound harder.

Mick grunted in pain. "Last night, I injected her with silver nitrate."

"So, you killed her?" Angela glared.

"Well, she attacked me." Mick defended. "She tore up my shoulder. And… I had orders."

"You had a choice." Dean sneered.

"Did I?" Mick asked. "Killing monsters is what we do. Or maybe palling around with demons and witches, you've forgotten."

Angela clenched her jaw and pushed Mick back against a railing. "Don't tell us how to do our job."

"Angie," Dean attempted to pull her back.

"Well, then do it." Mick snarled.

"You think it's that simple, huh?" Angela growled.

"I really do."

"Yeah? I used to think the same thing." Angela retorted. "Well, here's a little tip. Things aren't just black and white out there. All you have is a case in front of you, like Hayden. A few months ago, there was this kid, this psychic. She was killing people, but she didn't mean to hurt anyone. She was being abused. So, we gave her a second chance because it was the right thing to do."

"Well… that's your luxury. We have a code."

"Well, now Hayden's mom, she gets to bury two kids instead of one, thanks to you and your code," Dean told Mick. "Nice work."

Dean and Angela walked away from Mick, who grimaced and sighed heavily.

~/~\~

Claire walked away from the high school and Sam was leaning against the car as she approached.

"I was kidding before," she started with a smile. "But you really do look like a creeper."

"Funny." Sam retorted sarcastically. "How'd it go?"

"BFF found. Beans spilled." Claire replied. "Hayden was hooking up with this older guy on the DL, and she was really into him, but he was a total stalker. Texting constantly, ultra possessive. Skeeved her friend out so much she narc'd to Hayden's brother."

"Guess that explains why he was there."

"I did good, right?" she asked as she walked around the car and opened the driver's side door.

"Claire, why does Jody think you're in Madison looking at colleges?" Sam asked.

"You called her?" Claire's eyes widened slightly. "Did you tell?"

"No. Not yet. But why are you lying to her?"

Claire closed the door and sighed heavily. "Look, I-I know, okay? I know how much I owe Jody. But we tried the whole hunting thing, and I just ended up sitting in the car while she does everything."

"Guess she's taking it slow." Sam shrugged.

"She wants me to be normal, go to nursing school like Alex," Claire muttered.

"Did she actually say that?" Sam raised a brow.

"She doesn't have to. I'm better off on my own. This way, everybody's happy."

"Claire, Jody's not gonna be happy when she finds out," Sam warned. "And if something happened to you…"

"I'm careful!" Claire snapped.

"You need to tell her the truth."

"You know what? Screw you." Claire glared. "I'm so sick of you guys dive-bombing my life, pretending like you care."

"We do care," Sam assured sincerely.

"Then stop treating me like a stupid kid!" Claire yelled.

"Then stop acting like one." Sam retorted.

Claire clenched her jaw and walked away. Sam shook his head, immediately regretting his choice in words.

"Claire…"


	32. Ladies Drink Free Part 2

Claire rolled her head to the side and blurrily saw someone running down the path toward her. She rolled over and struggled to grab her knife off the ground. As she rolled back over, Sam came into her line a sight, grabbing her hands.

"Claire. Claire. Hey, hey. Claire. Hey, it's me. It's me."

Claire whimpered as Sam pulled her into a sitting position and put his arms around her.

"It's me. I gotcha. I gotcha," Sam comforted. "I gotcha. You're safe."

As Sam held her, he noticed the wound on her shoulder and looked around angrily.

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, Dean, Mick, Claire, and Grace were in a hotel room. Claire sat on the bed, looking at the bandage on her shoulder.

"We gotta cool her off. She's burning up." Dean muttered.

"Mommy, is Claire okay?" Grace asked worriedly.

"Claire is just… sick, sweetie," Angela told her daughter.

Mick grabbed a nearby blanket. "No. No, no, keep her warm."

Sam turned angrily toward Mick. "Back off."

"Shut up." Dean glared at Mick.

"Look, I understand you're angry—

"Mick, you _killed_ a kid. We're not angry." Sam retorted. "We're done!"

"How long have I got until…" Claire trailed off.

"Sometimes it takes a full moon," Angela answered softly. "Sometimes it just takes time."

"Hey," Dean knelt down in front of Claire. "Hey, listen to me. Look, nobody said this was gonna be easy, okay? But you can live with this."

Meanwhile, Sam sat at the nearby table and opened up one of the books.

"No way." Claire shook her head.

"Hey. Look, so you—you have to stay locked up a few nights out of the month, okay? The rest of the time, you're you." Dean assured.

"Unless I break out," Claire whispered. "Maybe some people can control this, but I can barely keep it together on a good day. So, if there's any chance I could hurt Jody or Alex… or anyone… I'd rather die."

"Claire, there may be another way," Sam started hopefully. "There's—there's the blood therapy that you talk about."

"I told you, it doesn't work," Mick replied.

"It says right here, uh, one out of nine test subjects was cured," Sam argued.

"Cured?" Claire asked.

"Yes."

"That study was on mice." Mick shook his head.

Dean stood up and walked towards Mick. "You want to tell me what the hell he's talking about?"

"We experimented with the blood of sire werewolves," Mick started. "And we found it was possible to reverse the early stages of lycanthropy… in rodents."

"So you never tested on humans?" Angela questioned.

"Once."

"And?" Sam prompted.

"The subject died in agony," Mick muttered. "Sorry."

"Yeah," Claire mumbled. "Maybe second time's a charm."

Dean turned towards Claire. "Hey, no, no. You don't get a vote in this."

"It's my life," Claire argued. "I get _all_ the votes."

"Sam, Angie, you wanna back me up here?" Dean asked.

Sam and Angela looked at each other for a moment.

"It's her life." Angela sighed.

Dean pursed his lips and glared icily at Mick. "I bet you think this is a great solution. Hmm? It works or she dies. Either way, one less monster, right?"

"I don't think there's any great solutions here," Mick replied.

"Dean…" Claire cried softly. "Please? I can't."

"All right." Dean conceded. "If we do this—if—how do we get it done?"

"We need blood, live blood, from the werewolf that bit her," Mick explained.

"Good. Great. Who we lookin' at?" Sam asked.

"Tribal tat. Back at the bar. We shook him down about Claire, and right after, she gets bit. That's not a coincidence."

"Timeline fits, connection to both victims." Sam agreed.

"Then we should go. The full moon rises in less than an hour." Mick replied. "And if she turns and feeds, our cheery success rate drops to zero."

Sam, Dean, Angela, Mick, and Grace walked toward the door. Dean stopped and turned toward Mick.

"Not you," Dean told him. "You stay with her."

"You trust him?" Sam quirked a brow.

"Gracie and I can stay here." Angela offered. "Nothing will happen to Claire."

"Okay," Sam nodded. "Love you."

"Love you, too." Angela smiled softly. "Stay safe."

"Sam, if you're not back…" Claire trailed off.

"We'll be back," Sam assured before he and Dean left.

~/~\~

Conner walked out of the bar and toward his motorcycle. As he went to put on a helmet, Dean approached.

"Yo,"

Dean punched Conner in the face, pushed him up against a wall, and then turned him around, holding him in place with an arm around his neck. Sam moved in holding out a knife.

"All right, don't move, don't move," Sam warned. "It's silver." He added as he made a small cut on Conner's hand, a surprised look crossing his face. "He's human."

~/~\~

Claire was looking out the hotel window as the full moon rose from behind the clouds. Angela was putting Grace to bed while Mick sat down and filled a syringe with a mysterious liquid.

"Let's give it time." Mick broke the silence.

Claire was breathing heavily and she grabbed her stomach as she bent over in pain.

"Claire, you okay?" Angela asked worriedly.

"Aah! It burns!" Claire cried out.

Claire grabbed at her shoulder. She went to the mirror and pulled off her bandages. As she turned to see the wound, it disappeared right in front of her eyes. She turned around and moved toward a gun on the table. Mick saw her and grabbed the gun before Claire could.

"You don't understand. It's happening!" Claire cried. "Give it to me!"

"No," Mick replied firmly.

"Then you do it, please!" Claire begged. "It's happening! And you don't understand how this feels!"

"Claire, honey, it's going to be okay," Angela assured.

Mick pointed the gun at Claire. "I know a man who would shoot you right now without a moment's thought."

"Mick, what the hell are you doing?" Angela demanded.

"And every instinct I have says he's right… that I ought to do my duty," Mick continued. "But… But my instincts haven't been so grand of late. Sit down."

Claire wrapped herself in a blanket and sat down on the couch, hugging her knees tightly.

"Now okay, here's what we're gonna do," Mick started gently. "Firstly, we're gonna restrain you, right?" he picked up leather straps. "For mine, Angela's, and Grace's protection. Okay? And then… then we're gonna sedate you." He held up a small brown bottle. "Also for our protection. With any luck, when you wake up, this will all be over."

"If I wake up." Claire corrected. "I gotta call Jody. She's gonna be so mad at me."

"Claire, she's not," Angela assured. "She's just gonna be happy that you're safe."

Suddenly, the door to the hotel room opened and a masked figure stormed into the room.

"Claire, get back!" Mick yelled.

Mick went after the figure and he was thrown across the room violently. Claire shattered a glass vase against the figure's back. The figure turned to face her and pulled off his mask, only to reveal that he was the original bartender. He punched Claire in the face and she fell to the ground.

"Claire!" Angela ran toward her.

The bartender swiftly punched Angela in the face, knocking her unconscious as well. The bartender smirked and dragged Claire and Angela out of the room.

~/~\~

Sam and Dean walked into the hotel room and started looking around. Grace was sleeping peacefully in one of the hotel beds.

"Claire?" Sam called out. "Angie?"

Mick, who was unconscious on the floor, groaned and started to get up.

"Where are they?" Dean demanded.

"The wolf," Mick stood up. "He took them."

"What?" Sam demanded.

Dean lunged at Mick and grabbed him by the shirt. "You had one job!"

"I tried to stop him, okay?" Mick retorted. "I can find them. I put a tracker in Claire's pocket."

"You planted a bug on her?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"Look, you can kill me later, after we find Claire and Angela." Mick retorted.

~/~\~

Claire and Angela were each tied to a chair inside a small cabin. The bartender walked around and threw items into a small duffle bag.

"I know this is sudden," the bartender started. "But you and your friends, you should've let me have Hayden. She was miserable here. She… We had big plans."

"Yeah?" Claire asked as she struggled against the ropes. "Was that before or after you bit her?"

"I had to know if she could survive the change. Not everyone does," the bartender explained as Claire groaned in pain. "See? It hurts at first, but eventually, it's like the best drug ever times a thousand."

"Right." Claire scoffed. "Eat me, Teen Wolf."

"It's not like I wanted to do this. My pack, we were happy. We didn't hurt anyone. And then hunters with weapons that I've never seen before, they show up and… take out 20 of us, just like that." The bartender explained. "The ones that made it, we split up, but we weren't meant to live like that. A werewolf needs his pack. You'll see, I'm a nice guy."

"Yeah? You know who says they're a nice guy?" Claire asked. "Clingy, insecure bitches with mommy issues."

The bartender walked over to the refrigerator. "That's just the change talking." He replied as he pulled a package off the shelf and walked over to Claire. "You'll feel better once you eat."

"You son of a bitch," Angela struggled against the ropes. "Get away from her!"

He took an animal heart out of the package and shoved it in Claire's mouth. "Try it. You'll like it. As soon as I saw you, I knew… you're just like me. Alone."

Claire spat the meat at the bartender and her mouth was covered in blood. "Wrong. I have a family, and they love me."

Claire pitched forward, gasping in pain. When she sat up, her eyes were glowing yellow and she stared the bartender down. Sam kicked in the door and tackled the bartender to the ground. Dean and Mick rushed in after, and Mick went to untie Angela.

"Claire?" Dean asked.

Claire turned around, growling and showing her fangs.

"Claire. Hey, all right. Easy." Dean held up his hands.

As the bartender and Sam continued to fight, Claire broke the ropes holding her and went after Dean. He picked up a pan and Claire swatted it out of his hands, causing it to crash to the floor.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Dean exclaimed. "Oh!"

Sam punched the bartender and got behind him, grabbing him around the chest. "Mick, hurry!"

Mick ran over and jabbed something into the bartender's back. The bartender snarled, reared back, and slammed his head into Sam's. Sam fell back against some nearby furniture and fell to the ground, unconscious. Mick moved in, but the bartender threw him aside as well. As the bartender turned toward Dean and Angela, Claire lunged at them. Dean threw her against the fridge and she fell to the floor.

"Sorry, kid." He muttered.

The bartender threw Angela across the room and lunged at Dean, throwing him to the floor. As he went to move toward Dean, Mick shot him in the back.

Mick ran over and helped Dean up and then grabbed the ampule he stuck in the bartender's back. He loaded the blood from the ampule into a syringe. Meanwhile, Claire woke up and got up from the floor, growling and snarling.

"Move, move, move, move, move," Dean told Mick. "Claire. Claire."

Sam woke up and joined Dean, Angela, and Mick standing opposite Claire. He was holding a backpack out in front of him.

"Okay, Claire," Angela started calmly. "It's us. You know us."

"That thing ready yet?" Dean asked.

"It's ready. It's ready." Mick nodded. "Go, go, go."

"She wanted this right?" Dean questioned.

"Oh, yeah." Sam nodded.

Mick handed the syringe to Dean. Claire lunged at Sam, who used the backpack to protect himself and pushed Claire away from him. As she passed, Dean jabbed her with the syringe. She fell to the floor screaming.

~/~\~

Claire was lying on the couch in the cabin, convulsing, as Dean, Sam, Angela, and Mick looked on. Claire's voice alternated between werewolf snarls and her whimpering.

"Gonna get some air," Dean muttered as he stood up and walked out of the house.

Claire writhed some more and then fell completely still and silent. Angela covered her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Claire?" Sam asked softly. "Dean."

Dean walked back into the room and watched as Claire's claws receded to her natural nails. There was a long pause and then Claire opened her eyes.

"You guys look like crap," she muttered.

Sam looked relieved and exhaled audibly, and Angela let out a relieved sob.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, Grace, and Mick left the hotel and Dean handed the valet his ticket.

Mick looked across the parking lot at Claire loading her car. "All right, give this to you. That girl is a walking miracle."

"Yes, she is." Dean agreed. "Listen, uh… thanks for the win back there."

"So, we're good?" Mick asked.

"Not quite," Angela replied. "But we'll give you a second chance."

"Just don't mess it up," Dean warned. "There won't be a third."

"Okay." Mick nodded as Claire approached.

"Hey," Sam smiled at Claire. "How you feeling?"

"Honestly? I'm sort of craving a Milk-Bone right now." Claire chuckled. "Look, um… what I said before… you guys are here when I need you and that's all that matters."

"You gonna tell Jody what happened?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Claire admitted.

"Well, whatever you decide, we got your back," Dean assured.

"Yeah!" Grace agreed, hugging Claire. "Love you, Claire."


	33. The British Invasion Part 1

The Impala tore down a rainy road. The boys, Angela, and Grace were inside, chatting with Eileen via FaceTime.

"So, after we talked, you went back to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho?" Angela asked.

 _"Right,"_ Eileen spoke and signed. _"The last place anybody saw Kelly Kline go. I figure I'd take a look."_

"Hmm." Sam hummed. "And?"

 _"And turns out, right after she left, somebody burned down an old warehouse,"_ Eileen replied, signing as she spoke. _"I did some digging. Check your phone."_

"Okay," Sam looked down at his phone. "What are those? Security shots? Oh, yeah. There's Kelly goin' in. Huh."

"Wow," Dean muttered as he peeked at the screen. "Nice work, Eileen."

 _"Thank you."_ Eileen smiled.

"So this chick with her, that, uh, Pat Benatar wannabe?" Dean asked.

"It must be Dagon, I guess," Angela replied. "Yeah."

"Awesome." Dean scoffed. "Okay, so," he stretched across so he could see Eileen on the monitor. "So… Kelly and Dagon go crash this place, and then it gets torched. Coincidence?"

"No." Sam and Angela replied.

 _"Hell, no."_ Eileen agreed.

"All right, well, what are we lookin' at here?" Dean questioned.

_"Working on it."_

"Well, go get 'em, Eileen." Dean smiled lopsidedly.

 _"That's the place,"_ Eileen assured.

"Bye, Eileen." Sam and Angela said simultaneously.

 _"Bye."_ Eileen waved with a smile.

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam, Dean, and Angela were walking down the bunker's stairs. Sam and Dean were carrying grocery bags while Angela carried Grace, who was sleeping peacefully.

"Just saying, Dean, even with Cas and every hunter we know working this, we still got basically nothing. At least, you know, maybe Crowley…"

"No, dude, we're not calling Crowley…" Dean huffed as he set down his grocery bag on the table.

Suddenly, they noticed they weren't alone, and saw Mick sitting across the room.

"Hello, boys. Angela," he greeted. "Do come and have a drink."

"Did you break into our house?" Angela asked as they walked over.

"Our house." Mick corrected. "Men of Letters. Did you know your key opens every chapter house in the world?" he asked, earning incredulous looks from the hunters. "Well, you did say you'd give me a second chance."

"Yeah, that doesn't mean we wanna hang out." Dean scoffed.

"You here for a reason?" Sam questioned.

"I am, and it's a bit urgent. Some time ago, the home office recorded some sort of cosmic shock wave. Very rare." Mick explained. "And after a few months of…"

"Nephilim," Sam interjected.

"You know?" Mick's brows furrowed.

"Yeah, we knew." Dean sighed.

"How?"

"Sort of a long story," Angela muttered.

"Well, I've got time." Mick pressed.

"Well, Lucifer jacked the President… and then knocked up his girlfriend," Dean explained.

"And now, she is on the run with Dagon, who is a Prince of Hell," Sam added.

"I see." Mick nodded. "And you didn't tell me this because?"

"Cause it's kind of a need-to-know kind of thing." Dean shrugged.

Mick sighed in agitation. "The Devil is having a… _child._ It seems like something we'd need to know. Where is this woman now?"

"Not sure," Angela admitted. "We had her. Tried to help her, but, she, uh…"

"We lost her."

"Yeah." Sam pursed his lips.

"I'm sorry. You… you had her? And you let her live?" Mick raised his brows.

"Look, isn't not Kelly's fault, okay? She didn't know Lucifer was her boyfriend." Dean defended.

"Oh, sure, yeah. It could happen to anyone." Mick retorted sarcastically.

"Plus, she'd agreed to end the pregnancy. And I guess she changed her mind." Sam added. "Even with everything Kelly knew, it… it was still her kid. She couldn't."

"Then you should have!" Mick snapped. "You should've shot her between the eyes immediately."

"Oh, why? 'Cause that's what you would've done?" Dean questioned.

"Kind of like you killed that werewolf?" Angela asked. "'Cause from what I remember, that really messed you up."

"Yeah, 'cause you're so big on second chances and all." Dean reminded.

"Yeah… yes. I'm not saying it was gonna be easy, but the Code demands it."

"Oh. The code." Dean rolled his eyes.

"This is not some werewolf. Do… Do you have any idea what will happen if this abomination is born?"

"Mick… we're handling it, all right? We'll find her." Sam assured.

"So, until then… I say we drink." Dean suggested.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela groggily walked into the kitchen, where Dean was asleep at the table. He woke up as Sam and Angela each grabbed a cup of coffee.

"Wow," Sam chuckled. "You look like crap."

"Yeah, you look crappier," Dean mumbled. "I gotta hand it to Mick. Man, you get him started, that guy can drink. I mean, we can drink, but he's got, like, the Can Drink gold medal."

"Hey, you talk to Mom lately?" Sam asked as he and Angela sat down.

"Oh, shouldn't worry about your mum or Robert," Mick cheerily walked into the room. "Ketch and they make quite the team."

"Would you want your parents working with them?" Dean asked.

"Well, I can't say," Mick replied as he poured tomato juice into a glass. "I never really knew my mum. Or my dad. I was on the streets till the Men of Letters found me."

"How did they find you?" Angela asked curiously.

"I, uh, picked a member's pocket. Not on purpose. I was just after a couple of quid. But I got a cursed coin from ancient Babylon instead."

"Yeah, sure. That could happen to anyone." Dean muttered.

"The Men of Letters decided I showed promise and signed me up. They gave me a life. They, um…" Mick trailed off and stared into space.

"You all right?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Always." Mick picked up his glass. "Got any vodka?"

Dean groaned and rested his head back on the table.

~/~\~

Dean was on the phone, listening to a message. Meanwhile, Sam, Angela, Grace, and Eileen sat in the map room, drinking beers and chatting. Grace sat on Angela's lap.

 _"This is my voicemail. Make your voice a mail."_ Castiel's message played.

"Come on, Cas." Dean huffed in annoyance. "I've called you three times now. Will you call me back? We've got a line on Dagon. We need your help."

"So, you ran the plates of every car that drove past that warehouse in Idaho before it burned down?" Angela asked as Dean sat down at the table.

"Yeah," Eileen nodded. "Most of them were local, but one wasn't. It came up registered to Dermott Culp."

"So…?" Sam prompted.

"So, he went missing a year ago," Eileen replied.

"Okay." Angela nodded.

"I tracked his car to Iowa. Found him coming out of a building carrying a dead body." Eileen explained.

"So, Dermott's a killer?" Dean asked.

"Dermott's a demon." Eileen corrected.

"Uh, one of Crowley's?" Angela asked curiously.

"Works for Dagon. Covers her tracks." Eileen answered.

"Smart," Sam admitted.

"Dude, don't compliment the bad guys." Dean scoffed.

"Yeah, daddy, the bad guys are mean," Grace added.

"You are so right, Peanut." Sam agreed. "Uh… So, do you know where Kelly is now?"

"No, but before Dermott got stabbed in the heart…"

"Nice," Dean smirked.

"Mm-hmm." Eileen hummed. "He gave me her phone number." She slid a piece of paper to Sam.

"Yeah, nice." Sam smiled.

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and Eileen were in a junkyard. Sam and Angela were leaning against the car while Sam talked to Kelly and the phone, and Eileen stood a few feet away.

"Ms. Kline," Sam greeted using an accent.

 _"Yes?"_ her voice rang through.

"This is Oliver in Dr. Turner's office. He'd like to see you in the office today." Sam explained.

_"I, uh, I was just in there. He said everything was fine."_

"All right, well, he looked back through your test results and there are some things he'd like to discuss," Sam informed. "Does 5:00 pm work for you?"

 _"I-I-I don't think I can get away."_ Kelly stammered.

"Well, he said it's very important," Sam stressed. "5:00 pm?"

_"Um… sure."_

Sam raised his fist a bit in triumph. "Good, see you then."

Sam hung up the phone and smiled down at Angela.

"What was that accent, babe?" Angela giggled.

Sam rolled his eyes, a small smile on his lips. "Look, it worked, okay?"

Sam and Angela walked over toward Eileen, smiling triumphantly.

"It worked," Angela told her.

"Cool." Eileen beamed.

Suddenly, a car pulled up and Mick and Renny got out.

"We thought you'd be coming alone," Sam commented.

"Well, I thought we'd gotten past our trust issues. Look, if Dagon shows, we're gonna need all the help we can get." Mick explained. "This is Renny Rawlings. New man."

"Right. I'm Sam, this is my wife Angela, and this is Eileen Leahy." Sam introduced.

"Ah, the banshee girl," Renny replied, earning a surprised look from Eileen. "We have a file. From what Mick tells me, none of you have any formal training. Fascinating. I was top of my class at Kendricks—

"No one cares." Eileen interrupted.

"I, uh, brought the Colt just like you asked." Mick offered the gun. "But it's gotta go back to HQ."

"Gee, Mick, I thought we'd gotten past the trust issues," Angela repeated.

"Hmm." Mick hummed.


	34. The British Invasion Part 2

Kelly was walking towards the doctor's office and Dean fell in alongside her, grabbing her arm.

"Stay cool," he instructed. "Walk with me."

"Dean?" Kelly asked in surprise.

~/~\~

Later that night, the Impala pulled into the junkyard where Sam, Angela, Eileen, Mick, and Renny were waiting. Grace was in the back seat sleeping.

"This everyone?" Dean asked as he got out of the car.

"Yeah. Still no word from Cas." Angela replied.

"Right. Great. Who's this?" Dean pointed at Renny.

"He's with Mick," Angela answered.

"I'm Renny Rawlings. Graduated Kendricks top of my—

"Right. I don't care." Dean interrupted as he opened the door for Kelly. "Come on."

"Don't." Kelly shoved him off, getting out herself.

"Okay." Dean conceded.

"Kelly… Listen, we… we all know you're in a really… difficult situation, and we… we just… We wanna help." Sam assured.

"You call this helping?"

"Look, Kelly, that kid, it's… I mean, it can't… I mean, it's Lucifer's." Dean reminded.

"Yeah, I know. You think I wanted this to happen?" Kelly scoffed. "He used me. But I love this child."

"You will mean absolutely _nothing_ to that child. That child will kill us all." Mick explained.

"Hey," Dean warned.

"That's not happening, okay?" Angela assured. "We're gonna figure something out. We will. We—

"This is absurd." Renny reached for his weapon.

"Don't," Dean warned again.

Suddenly, the wind started to pick up around them, almost as if a storm was approaching.

"She's here." Kelly breathed out in fear.

The wind steadily got stronger; lighting flashed in the sky. Dagon appeared out of nowhere and smirked.

"Hey," she greeted.

Dagon thrust her hand in the air, and Sam, Angela, Dean, Eileen, Mick, and Renny were flung in the air, landing heavily. Angela groaned, resting a hand on her stomach. Sam helped her up as Dean and Mick attempted to shoot at Dagon. She threw them aside again and walked up to Kelly. Eileen noticed the Colt, which Sam had dropped when he was thrown. Eileen inched towards it while Dagon reached for Kelly, taking her by the hand. As Dagon dragged Kelly away, Renny was also reaching for his weapon.

Eileen had Dagon in her sights. She fired, just as Dagon disappeared, taking Kelly with her. The bullet from the Colt continued on its path and hit Renny directly in the chest.

The hunters and Mick slowly realized what happened as Renny collapsed to the ground, dead.

"I didn't… I didn't mean to. I was shooting at the demon. I'm—

"No, no, wait up. It was an accident. It's all right." Sam assured.

However, Mick pulled out his gun and approached Eileen.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?" Dean demanded.

"Hey!" Angela snapped.

"She killed a Man of Letters. S-she has to die." Mick replied.

"It was an accident!" Angela reminded.

"It doesn't matter! The Code." Mick argued.

"No, hey, screw the Code," Dean replied.

"Don't make this harder than it already is."

"Mick, you don't have to do this," Dean argued.

"Yes, I do!" he shouted.

"Please. Don't." Eileen begged.

"Mick, Mick, listen to me," Angela pleaded. "Mick, look, I know you guys have this Men of Letters Code you blindly answer to, but… look, you don't have to do that, Mick. You're better than that. You only have to answer to yourself. You only have to do what you know is right. You only have to answer to your own code."

Mick slowly lowered his gun. "Just go."

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

The hunters hurried into the Impala and sped off, leaving Mick alone.

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam, Angela, Dean, and Eileen walked down the stairs into the bunker. Dean carried Grace, who was still sleeping.

"You okay?" Dean asked Eileen softly.

Eileen nodded, but then began to shake her head as tears welled in her eyes. "No. He wasn't a monster. He was… I…"

Sam turned Eileen to face him. "Hey… It was a mistake."

Eileen reached for Sam and he pulled her into a comforting hug.

~/~\~

Dean walked into the library, where Sam, Angela, and Grace were sitting. Sam was looking at his laptop and Grace was eating apples and peanut butter.

"Mornin'." Dean greeted.

"Good morning, Unca Dean!" Grace smiled.

"Hey, Dean." Angela smiled.

"Mornin'," Sam replied, still glued to his laptop. "Hey, you, uh, you hear anything from Cas yet?"

"Mm. No. Still MIA."

"You think he's all right?" Angela asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Dean admitted as he looked around. "Where's Eileen?"

"She took off," Sam answered. "Uh, said she's headed back to Ireland for a while. Just needs some time, I guess."

"Mm. Yeah, I get that."

"Mm." Sam hummed as he picked up an object in a cloth and handed it to Dean.

Dean opened it to reveal the Colt and smirked. "Ah. Welcome back, sweetheart."


	35. The Memory Remains Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Dean walked through the hallways of the bunker, still trying to reach Castiel on the phone.

"Come on. Cas, it's me. I've been trying to get ahold of you for days. I don't know what's going on, but we got a line on Dagon… And we got our asses handed to us, even with the Colt. So… Could really use the backup. Call me back." Dean left a message.

"So, no luck with Cas, huh?" Sam asked as Dean walked into the map room.

"Yeah, still AWOL." Dean sighed heavily as he sat down at the table.

"All right, so let's find him," Angela replied.

"I've been trying, Angie," Dean assured. "The GPS on his phone is turned off, and there's nothing in the system about some weird guy in a trench coat getting arrested or turning up dead."

"Right." Sam pursed his lips. "Dean, it's Cas. I mean, this isn't the first time he's dropped off the map, you know? And whatever's happening, he'll be fine. He always is."

"Yeah," Dean replied unconvinced as he cleaned his guns. "What 'bout you guys? You got anything there, reading rainbow?"

"Sam and I stayed up all night, going through every book we have on demons, and it turned out we have a lot of books on demons," Angela replied.

"Anything on Dagon?" Dean asked.

"Mentions here and there, but nothing we can use," Sam answered. "I guess the, uh, Princes of Hell are pretty good at staying off the radar."

"Well, yeah, isn't that kind of their thing?" Dean muttered.

"Hmm," Sam hummed as he looked at his laptop. "Just got an e-mail from Mick. It's a case."

"Good." Dean nodded.

"Looks like a guy named Jarrod Hayes disappeared in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, a week ago. No witnesses. No body." Sam explained. "But Mick says this place has a history."

"Meaning?" Angela asked.

"Well, it means a lot of people go missing in Tomahawk, once a year, every year, from 1898 to 1997, and then nothing until now."

"So, 20 years?" Dean questioned.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "So, maybe they're starting up again? Maybe it's a cycle of some sort?"

"Well… One way to find out." Dean shrugged as he pointed his gun. "Pew."

~/~\~

_Tomahawk, Wisconsin_

After dropping Grace off at Jody's, Sam, Dean, and Angela drove to Sheriff Barrett Bishop Jr.'s office. He was preoccupied with sewing a taxidermy animal and seemed disinterested in Jarrod's disappearance.

"I'm sorry," Sheriff Bishop started. "But why the feds interested in Jarrod Hayes?"

"Just followin' orders," Dean answered vaguely.

"Yeah, um…" Sam cleared his throat uncomfortably. "So, what can you tell us about the case?"

"Well… Nothing much to tell. Jarrod and his friends were hanging out at Weathertop." Sheriff Bishop replied. "This make-out spot the kids use out at the woods. And then he ditched his pals to hoof it home. Never made it."

"So, somebody snagged him?" Angela quirked a brow.

"Mm. Maybe." Sheriff Bishop shrugged.

"Maybe?" Sam raised his brows.

"Look, maybe Jarrod did get got. We're working every lead." Sheriff Bishop assured. "But you ask me, he just bailed."

"And why would he do that?" Dean questioned.

"Jarrod's had it rough. Mom left years ago. And his dad… Well, let's just say Jarrod 'fell down the stairs a lot,' you know what I mean." Sheriff Bishop explained.

"Wait a second," Sam frowned.

"Mm." Dean hummed.

Angela's brows furrowed. "If you knew he was being abused, why didn't you—

"We tried." Sheriff Bishop interrupted. "Trying to take a child from his parents, even if they're the worst people in the world, not easy."

"Did you talk to his old man?" Dean asked.

"Can't. Not really. Guy stroked out a couple years ago. Breathes through a tube." Sheriff Bishop replied. "Guess who gets to take care of him? Can you imagine having to spoon-feed the guy that wailed on you for all those years? Everybody's got a breaking point. If Jarrod did blow town, I wouldn't blame him."

"You said that he was with friends the night Jarrod went missing," Dean recalled.

"Yeah, did any of them say anything?" Sam asked curiously.

"Nothing worth repeatin'." Sheriff Bishop shrugged, admiring his work. "Ain't he precious?"

"Uh-huh." Dean rolled his eyes. "Any idea where we can find these friends?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure." Sheriff Bishop nodded.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela went to the factory to talk to Daryn Boston about what happened to Jarrod.

"Daryn Boston?" Angela asked as they flashed their FBI badges. "Agents Lannister, Stark, and Martell, FBI."

"Hell," Daryn muttered, tossing his joint to the ground.

"Yeah, no, it's cool." Dean picked it up and offered it back to him. "Medicinal purposes, right?"

Daryn's brows furrowed as he reluctantly took the joint back. "Uh… Yes?"

"Yeah," Dean smirked.

"We just, uh, wanted to talk about the night Jarrod Hayes went missing," Sam told Daryn.

"What about it?"

"Well, the sheriff says you were with him," Angela replied.

"Yeah, well, the sheriff is a jackass, all right?" Daryn retorted. "Look, he thinks Jarrod just skipped town."

"You don't?" Sam raised his brows.

"I _know_ he didn't," Daryn stressed.

"Did you tell that to the cops?" Angela asked.

"Man, sheriff Bishop's not gonna believe me. We got… history." Daryn answered.

"History?" Dean pressed.

Daryn sighed heavily. "Anytime something happens in this town, he brings me in for questioning."

"Why is that?" Sam asked.

"Why do you think?" Daryn waved his joint.

"Right." Sam nodded.

"Well, look, if you won't tell the sheriff what you saw, how 'bout you tell us?" Dean shrugged.

Daryn paused for a moment, reliving that night. "Look, I ran to save Jarrod, okay? But… The monster, it got him."

"Monster?" Angela inquired.

"Black Bill," Daryn answered.

~/~\~

In a local café that evening, Sam and Angela were researching the local legend of Black Bill while Dean was clearly distracted by their waitress.

"Hi!" the waitress greeted Dean with a smile.

"Black Bill is a local urban legend, dates back more than a hundred years." Sam read from his laptop.

"Warm it up?" the waitress nodded to Dean's coffee.

"Thank you." Dean smiled as the waitress filled up his cup.

"A folklore story from 1907 that—that mentions that… Uh, back then, he was called 'Black William.' So, it looks like sometime between then and…" Sam followed Dean's line of sight and saw the waitress at another table. "Dude, focus."

"I am focused. Yeah, Black Bill. What do you got?" Dean asked.

"All right, well, he lives in the woods, so he's like a local Jersey devil," Angela answered. "And apparently, he has the head of a goat."

"A goat? Like…" Dean mimicked the sound of a goat. "Goat?"

"Yeah, a goat." Angela nodded.

"Well, maybe that's what Daryn saw." Dean shrugged.

"Unless you think he was lying," Sam replied.

Dean watched as the waitress walked to the kitchen. "Mm, nah, I think he's a little too freaked out to be lying. So, we got a, uh, goat dude with a name like a pirate, which is a little insane, even for us. And that bar is… super high." Dean whistled while looking at the waitress. "So, if it is real, what the hell is it?"

"Not sure." Sam sighed. "I mean, there's tons of human-animal hybrid lore dating all the way back to ancient Egypt."

"Right, well, why don't you two figure out what the hell it is, all I'll figure out a way to kill it," Dean suggested. "Okay?"

"All right." Sam nodded.

"Right. Don't wait up." Dean smirked.

"What?" Angela's brows furrowed.

"I already figured out a way to kill it." Dean shrugged.

"How did you—you don't even know what it is." Angela retorted.

"The Colt. Dusts anything. Work smarter, Angie, not harder." Dean replied as he stood up and walked to the coffee bar.

"Oh, don't do the hot coffee thing," Sam muttered in embarrassment.

"Boy, this coffee is hot. Kind of like…" Dean pointed at the waitress. "Hi. What's your name?"

"Carmen," she smiled flirtatiously.

"Can't believe that really works." Angela scoffed.

~/~\~

The next morning, Sam and Angela were already in the café eating breakfast while Dean and Carmen entered. She looked extremely pleased and Dean looked rumpled.

"Yeah. No, no, no. I understand. Yeah. Well… Yeah, gotta go." Sam hung up the phone

"I'll see you later. Okay." Dean smirked at Carmen before he walked to Sam and Angela's booth.

"Good night?" Sam asked his brother.

"Awesome." Dean grinned. "It was an awesome night. So awesome. Ah." He nodded before looking at Angela's plate of pancakes. "You gonna eat that?"

"Uh… Hey!" Angela complained as Dean stole her plate. "Guess not. Be my guest."

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean and offered Angela his veggie omelet. "Here, baby."

"Thanks, Sammy." Angela kissed his cheek. "Stealing food from a pregnant lady." She shook her head at Dean.

"Sorry, kiddo." Dean apologized. "How was your night?" Dean asked as he shoveled pancakes into his mouth.

"Busy. A different kind of busy, but good." Sam answered.

"Right. Books." Dean mumbled. "Anything on goat dude?"

"Yeah, a little bit," Angela replied as she ate the omelet. "We have some idea what we're dealing with."

"Look at this," Sam offered his iPad. "It's a satyr—half man, half goat from Greek mythology."

"Oh, come on." Dean scoffed. "This guy's adorable. He plays a freakin' flute."

"Yeah, Dean. That's—that's Pan. It's his flute." Sam replied.

"Mm." Dean hummed.

"So, listen, satyrs are creatures of uncontrollable lust," Angela started. "They would lead people to the woods for massive orgies."

"Nice." Dean nodded.

"And when the fun was over, the satyr would, 'feast upon the flesh of his victims until his belly was full to bursting with their moist, slippery meat.'" Sam added.

"That's descriptive." Dean cringed. "Uh… All right, what do we do?"

"Well, Angie and I were thinking that maybe we could go talk to Daryn, see if this is, indeed what he saw."

"But?" Dean raised his brows.

"But his mom told us Daryn never made it home from work last night." Angela sighed.

~/~\~

The three hunters walked into the meat factory and towards Pete.

"No screwups, right?" Pete asked one of his employees.

"Excuse me, sir," Sam called out as they flashed their FBI badges. "Agents Stark, Martell, and Lannister, FBI. Uh, we're looking for Daryn Boston."

"Uh, Daryn? Is he in trouble?" Pete frowned.

"No, no, no, not at all," Angela assured. "We—we spoke with him yesterday. Just wanna ask a few follow-up questions. I don't suppose he's around."

"No, Daryn—Daryn didn't show up for work today," Pete answered.

"So, when was the last time you saw him?" Dean questioned.

"Oh, last night. Closed up. Talked about our big day today."

"What big day?" Dean asked.

"You see that walking clipboard over there?" Pete nodded to a man in a blue hard hat.

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"That's a health inspector. He's trying to shut us down." Pete explained.

"How come?" Angela's brows furrowed in confusion. "This place is spotless."

"It cleans up pretty nice, but our equipment, it's a little out of date," Pete admitted.

"Can't you upgrade?" Dean asked.

"We would if we could. Business isn't exactly booming." Pete scoffed. "We had to shut down half the plant three months back. Meanwhile, our owner would rather play sheriff than actually take care of business."

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "Wait a second. You're telling me that sheriff Bishop owns this place?"

"Yeah. Barrett Bishop Jr." Pete nodded. "Heir to the Bishop meat empire. His family, they've owned this plant for… forever. Barry's inside. He's hopin' to sweet talk the inspector. You ask me, it's too little, way too late."

"Mr. Garfinkle." The health inspector called out.

"Excuse me," Pete muttered.

"Sure." Sam nodded.

"So, we roll into town, look into a case, talk to the local badge…" Dean muttered as they walked inside.

"And then our one witness goes missing," Angela added. "Last place he was seen owned by the sheriff. Sound like a coincidence?"

"Oh," Dean looked around at the raw meat hanging around. "You guys hungry? I'm hungry."

While the three hunters roamed around, they eventually found sheriff Bishop.

"Excuse me, sheriff." Sam greeted.

"Agents. What are you guys doin' here?"

"Well, we could ask you the same thing, except… Oh, right. You run the joint." Dean chuckled.

"Well, my name's on the paperwork." Sheriff Bishop shrugged. "Pete handles the day-to-day. Are you still trying to chase down Jarrod Hayes?"

"Yeah, and, uh, now Daryn Boston," Angela replied.

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "Seems to have gone missing, too."

"Jeez. First I've heard of it." Sheriff Bishop shrugged.

"Yeah. So, tell us, what have you heard about Black Bill?" Sam questioned.

"I'm sorry?" Sheriff Bishop scoffed.

"Black Bill," Sam repeated. "Daryn told us he saw Black Bill attack Jarrod Hayes."

"He didn't wanna tell ya 'cause he didn't think you'd believe him," Dean added.

"Well—well… Yeah. He's right." Sheriff Bishop admitted. "Look, 'round here, parents tell their kids not to go into the woods or Black Bill will get 'em. He's the bogeyman. Everyone knows that the bogeyman ain't real."

"Sure about that?" Dean asked as they walked. "Seems like a lot of people go missing in this town. Yeah, one a year every year up until '97."

"Yeah. Okay. I mean, people come to town, they work in the plant for a while, then they get bored and restless, and they, you know, move on." Sheriff Bishop shrugged.

"And Daryn?" Angela asked.

"You know, maybe Daryn thinks he saw Black Bill, but let's be honest," Sheriff Bishop started. "Kid was drunk, high, or both. And I'll bet you dollars to donuts, Daryn's just holed up, sleeping one off. Hell, he's probably waking up right now, safe and sound."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela were walking out of the plant as they talked quietly.

"Well, sheriff's not acting suspicious at all," Dean muttered sarcastically.

"Right." Sam scoffed.

"Yeah, but how is he connected to goat dude?"

"Now, that's a good question." Angela nodded.

~/~\~

Dean was eating a burger at the café when Sam and Angela walked in.

"Seriously? Dean?" Sam scoffed as they sat down. "After what we just saw, how—how can you eat?"

Dean rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Grow up, Sam, okay? Burger's beef, bacon's pig, Soylent Green's people. But this—this… This is heaven."

"Wow. Right." Angela laughed. "Um, so, what's the word? You find anything?"

"Mm. Yeah, kind of. So, I cross-checked all the names of the people who went missing with the employee roster at Billhook Meats." Dean replied.

"And? Any more of the vics work at the plant?" Sam inquired.

"Try all of 'em." Dean corrected.

Angela's brows shot up in surprise. "All of them? Seriously? So, I guess that means, safe to say that Black Bill is definitely connected to the plant?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Or the family that runs it. Or both. Well, maybe they just run an evil petting zoo on the side."

"So, Angie and I, uh, spent some time at the hall of records," Sam started. "The Bishops founded Tomahawk. Everything. This is a company town. If you lived here, you worked at the plant. The Bishops owned all the houses, all the businesses. Or they did until a few years ago. Looks like the sheriff has been selling off all of their family property. Uh, everything, really…"

"Hmm." Dean hummed as he continued eating.

"…for the plant and family estate." Sam finished.

"Wow. So, who lives at the Addams family house?"

Sam pulled out his phone as it chimed and his brows furrowed. "It's Mick."

"Okay," Dean shrugged. "Tell him we're cool."

"So, creepy house?" Angela asked.

"Creepy house." Dean nodded.

~/~\~

The Impala pulled up to the Barrett family mansion and the three hunters eyed the house curiously.

"Looks empty," Angela commented.

"Well, why don't we check inside?" Dean suggested. "Maybe we'll get lucky."

Dean drove around back and the three hunters easily broke into the large home. They split up to cover more ground, using their flashlights.

"Dean," Sam called out as he and Angela stopped in front of a locked door. "Dean, I'd say we just got lucky."

Angela picked the lock easily and Dean peered into the basement.

"Wow. Hello? Goat dude?" Dean asked as they walked down the stairs.

Dean went to turn on the light, but sparks flew instantly, shocking the hunters. As they walked further down, they noticed all sorts of weapons, almost as if it were a dungeon.

"Why is it always the rich ones?" Dean muttered. "I mean, what, are they, like, 'Croquet's all right. But you know what'd be great? Murder.'"

Suddenly, a door could be heard shutting from upstairs. Sam, Dean, and Angela frowned and looked up. Each of them found a hiding spot, and as the sheriff walked downstairs, Dean pointed the Colt at his head.

"Hiya, sheriff." He greeted.


	36. The Memory Remains Part 2

Dean pointed the Colt at sheriff Bishop as Sam and Angela walked towards them, holding their own weapons at the ready.

"Talk," Dean commented as he shoved him against the wall.

"This is not what it looks like." Sheriff Bishop assured.

"Really?" Dean narrowed his eyes. "'Cause it looks like a straight-up murder room to me."

"Sheriff, what's going on?" Angela asked.

"Oh, you… You won't believe me."

"Try us," Dean let him go. "We're pretty open-minded."

"My family, we… got a secret." Sheriff Bishop sighed heavily as he sat down.

"All the best ones do," Dean muttered.

"Is this about Black Bill?" Sam questioned.

"No. I mean, yeah, but… He's not real. Black Bill, he's… us." Sheriff Bishop explained.

"Come again?" Dean raised his brows questioningly.

"Uh… Growing up, my father'd tell me stories about a monster. Lived under our house and made our family rich. All we had to do was—was feed it."

"Feed it what?" Angela asked.

"Blood." Sheriff Bishop answered. "Human blood. My dad, his dad, and all the way back, they'd go out and grab some poor son of a bitch, bring 'em here and… when they did it they wore a mask. Black Bill… We made him up."

"So, goat dude is just a dude?" Dean's brows furrowed.

"Then who's the monster?" Sam added.

"Moloch. God of sacrifice."

"What, I'm sorry," Dean frowned. "You—you have a god living in your basement?"

"Yeah, one of my people way back, they bound Moloch, locked him away… Starved him." Sheriff Bishop explained. "My family, that's what we did. We let the god get so hungry that he'd do anything for blood. Moloch used his power to make us rich. After my father died in '97, I put a stop to all of that. Look, I couldn't… I never killed anybody. I just wanted to help people to make up for all the bad we've done. I wanted… To leave a legacy."

"Well, aren't you just a peach?" Dean muttered.

"So, what happened to Moloch?" Angela asked.

"I kept him locked up. Hoped he'd starve to death."

"Locked up where?" Dean demanded.

Sheriff Bishop looked at the cellar and the hunters walked towards it.

"It's empty." Sam frowned as he checked the cage.

"What?" Sheriff Bishop stood up.

"It's empty," Sam repeated.

"No, no. No, no, no, no, no."

"Stay here," Dean told Sam and Angela. "Keep an eye on him."

"What?" Sam frowned. "Dean, there could be a god up there."

Dean waved the Colt. "I'm cool."

~/~\~

Dean walked around upstairs to investigate a noise. He noticed the Black Bill costume and went to take a closer look when he was attacked from behind by Pete. He pushed Dean over the stair railing, knocking him unconscious.

~/~\~

"Dean?" Sam and Angela called out when they heard fighting.

Sam, Angela, and sheriff Bishop ran up the stairs, just as Pete locked the door from the outside.

"Hey!" Sam pounded on the door. "Hey! Open up! Hey!"

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were trying to break down the door and sheriff Bishop handed Sam a meat cleaver.

"Here. Here."

After a little while, they managed to break down the door, and they walked out of the mansion and towards the sheriff's police car. Sam had his phone out, trying to track Dean.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to track Dean's cell phone," Sam told the sheriff. "All right, got it. Let's go."

~/~\~

While at the Billhook Meats plant, Dean woke up groggily with a wound on the side of her head, bound to a chair with plastic wrap.

"Mm," Dean grunted. "Hiya, Pete. Nice digs."

"I didn't expect to see you again, agent. I went to the house looking for my brother." Pete replied.

Dean's brows furrowed in confusion. "Brother?"

"Barry. Different moms, same daddy. Old man Bishop, he, uh, he had an eye for the ladies." Pete explained. "Everyone in town knew about it, but it didn't make a difference. Barry grew up in the big house. I grew up in a double-wide. Does that sound fair to you?"

"Honestly? Sounds like a bad episode of 'Dynasty.'" Dean sassed.

"You got a lot of jokes."

"Yeah, right now, that's about all I got," Dean muttered.

"Right. You know what I got? A god." Pete smirked.

"Moloch," Dean replied.

"Bingo!" Pete exclaimed. "With Barry giving away the family fortune like that, I had to get creative. I went to the old house, trying to get my hands on anything I could sell. But I found somethin' else. Moloch. He told me he'd make me rich. He told me he'd solve all my problems. All I had to do was feed him. And hell, I'm a Bishop. That's what we do, right? Hunting people. Killing them. The family business. Moloch's been starved for 20 years. It's gonna take a few meals for him to get his mojo goin', but then… Oh, we are back, baby. Yeah. I'm savin' this town."

Dean scoffed. "Well, tell that to Jarrod and Daryn."

"Jarrod was a screw-up. He got what he deserved." Pete spat. "And Daryn? Well, sorry, bud, but once he talked, he had to go. Loose ends, you know? Loose ends. Come on!"

"Mm." Dean hummed.

"My jackass half-brother was supposed to be the next meal, but you'll do."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hey." Dean frowned as Pete dragged Dean towards the freezer. "W—Pete, let's just talk about this. Listen… Let's—

"It'll be over soon," Pete assured. "Thanks for helpin' out!"

"What…" Dean frowned.

Pete left and locked Dean in the freezer, leaving him to be consumed by Moloch.

~/~\~

Dean wheeled himself around and spotted Daryn's body being dragged away by Moloch, and Dean broke free of the plastic bindings.

"Pete! Pete!" Dean exclaimed as he banged on the door.

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, and sheriff Bishop were just outside in the plant, searching for Dean.

"Dean?" Sam called out.

Unbeknownst to them, Pete was lying in wait for them wearing the Black Bill mask.

~/~\~

Dean noticed a meat hook and grabbed it so he could defend himself.

~/~\~

"Dean?" Angela looked around.

~/~\~

Dean carefully walked around the freezer, playing cat and mouse with Moloch.

~/~\~

"Dean?" Sam called out again.

~/~\~

"Come on, you son of a bitch," Dean muttered. "Huh."

~/~\~

Pete knocked Angela onto the ground and bludgeoned Sam as he approached the freezer. Sheriff Bishop tackled Pete and unmasked him.

"Pete! You have to stop."

"Don't act like you care." Pete snarled.

"I gave you the plant." Sheriff Bishop retorted.

"Aw, because you knew it was failing. What a bunch of crap." Pete scoffed. "That's what I get. I get that my whole life! The crap!"

Pete threw sheriff Bishop off and aimed the Colt at him.

~/~\~

Dean frantically attempted to escape Moloch, getting his meat hook stuck in a slab of meat. "Ah!"

~/~\~

"Not anymore." Pete shook his head. "I'm saving this town. I'm the hero. And you're dead."

Before Pete could shoot sheriff Bishop, Angela shot him in the back. Meanwhile, Dean scored a hit on Moloch with the meat hook, but it barely slowed the monster down, and it slammed Dean's head against a post. Sam collected the Colt from Pete's body, and he and Angela walked towards the freezer.

"Stay back, Angie," Sam warned before shooting the lock.

Sam shot Moloch with the Colt and it fell to the ground, dead. Dean looked up, his eyes wide.

"Colt. Dusts anything." Sam smirked.

Dean collapsed on the floor and sighed in relief.

~/~\~

Sheriff Bishop crouched over Pete's body while Dean held a frozen steak to his bruised temple.

"Hey," Angela greeted as she and Sam walked up to Dean. "How're you feeling, hon?"

"Like I just went 12 rounds with a god," Dean muttered. "So, you know… Normal."

"Yeah." Angela chuckled.

"You should go." Sheriff Bishop said suddenly.

"No, sheriff, uh, we can help clean up," Sam replied.

"No." Sheriff Bishop shook his head. "This… I'll take care of it. It's on me. This? This is my legacy."

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into the main room of the bunker. Sam was carrying Grace, who they had picked up on the way back.

"Hey," Dean broke the silence.

"Yep," Sam replied.

"Next time you guys hear me say that our family is messed up, remind me that we could be psycho goat people." Dean scoffed.

Sam let out a laugh. "Yeah, that's true enough."

"You know," Dean started. "I was… Thinking about what Bishop said. About… What do you think our legacy's gonna be? When we're gone, I mean, after all the stuff we've done, you think folks will remember us?" he asked as they sat down at the table, beers in hand. "You know, like, a hundred years from now?"

"No," Sam replied bluntly as he adjusted Grace on his lap.

"Oh, that's nice," Angela muttered.

"Well, I mean… People like us, we're not exactly the type of people they write about in history books, you know?" Sam shrugged.

"Mm." Dean hummed.

"But Gracie, the baby on the way… The people we saved, they're our legacy." Sam explained. "And they'll remember us and then I guess… We'll eventually fade away, too. That's fine, because we left the world better than we found it, you know."

"I wonder what's gonna happen to this place." Dean pondered as he looked around. "After we're gone, you think some hunter'll move in, keep fightin' the fight?"

"Yeah." Angela nodded.

"I hope so," Sam added.

"Yeah. Me, too." Dean muttered as he pulled a pocket knife from his pocket.

Sam's brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you doin'?"

"Leaving our mark," Dean replied as he carved his initials into the table. "Here."

Sam smiled and took the knife, carving his initials next to Dean. "Mm. Here, baby."

"This is yours and Dean's tradition…" Angela looked up at her husband.

"Baby, you've been family for years now." Sam smiled.

Angela smiled and carved her initials next to Sam's. "There."

"Daddy, do mine please!" Grace looked up at Sam.

"Of course, Peanut," Sam replied as Angela handed him the knife. "All right…" he carved Grace's initials into the table. "There we go."

"Thank you, Daddy!" Grace kissed his cheek.

"Guess we gotta call Mick, debrief, or whatever," Dean muttered.

"Right," Sam replied.

Sam called Mick to report in on their case, but Ketch answered instead.

_"Hello, Winchester."_

"Ketch?" Angela asked in confusion.

"Where's Mick?" Sam demanded.

 _"Oh, he didn't tell you? He flew back to London last night."_ Ketch replied. _"After all the… Oh, unpleasantness with Dagon and Renny, well… Mick has a lot to answer for. So, for the time being, you'll report to me."_

"Seriously?" Dean groaned.

 _"I don't like it any more than you do."_ Ketch retorted. _"I'd much rather be with your parents. Hunting. For… Chupacabra in Texas. But for now, I'm what you've got. So… Wisconsin?"_

"We fought a god and won," Dean answered.

 _"Well done. We'll be in touch."_ Ketch replied before hanging up.

"So, now we're reporting to low-rent Christian Bale?" Dean scoffed. "Seriously? I don't like that guy. He creeps me out."

"Yeah." Sam agreed.

"And he rides the oldest, worst, most unreliable bike," Dean complained.


	37. The Future Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam was sitting at the map table, which was covered with various symbols that Sam had scrawled with a dry erase marker. Dean and Angela walked into the room, and Dean's eyebrows shot up.

"What's up, Beautiful Mind?" he scoffed.

"Guess I figured we can't exactly track Dagon," Sam started. "So I've been reading up on Nephilim, trying to figure out how much time we have before—

"Lil Lucifer pops?" Dean finished.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Okay, so we know Kelly got pregnant sometime in early December. According to the lore, Nephilim don't need nine months to get to full term, so I think she will be giving birth around May 18th. Which means—

"We have less than a month to find her." Angela finished.

"Yeah, and exactly no idea where to start."

"Okay, but even if we do find her, what then?" Dean question.

Sam ran a hand over his face, clearly stressed. "I don't know. I mean, I—I…"

Suddenly, the bunker door opened and Castiel walked in, shocking the three hunters.

"Cas." Sam breathed out.

"Hello," the angel greeted as he walked down the stairs.

"Hey, hon." Angela smiled. "You're all right. Um—Where have you been?"

"Let me rephrase that for Angie," Dean started, clearly angry. "Where the _hell_ have you been? And why have you ignored our phone calls?"

"Where I was, the—the reception was, uh, poor," Castiel answered.

"No bars?" Dean asked in disbelief. "No bars. That's his excuse. Wow."

"I was in Heaven," Castiel admitted. "I was working with the angels. When I saw Dagon had captured Kelly, I-I thought they could help."

"And?" Sam asked.

"Nothing."

"Well, at least you're back. We're glad you're back." Sam replied.

"Really?" Dean scoffed. "No, I'm sorry. Okay, 'cause while you were striking out in Heaven, we had a shot at Dagon, and we lost."

"I know," Castiel replied guiltily. "I received your messages."

"Oh, you did—you did receive the messages? Okay, that's good." Dean replied sarcastically.

Castiel sighed heavily. "Dean—

"So, not only were you ditching us, but you were also ignoring us? That's great. 'Cause we really could've used the backup. But, uh, you were too busy with, um," Dean clicked his tongue. "What was it? Nothing?"

"Dean, I—

"What the hell is wrong with you, man?" Dean demanded. "You know, whatever. That's," he chuckled in disbelief. "Yeah. Welcome back." He scoffed as he walked away angrily.

Sam sighed. "Dean, y—

"Hon, we are glad that you're back," Angela assured Castiel.

~/~\~

Dean was looking at his laptop in his room where he heard a knock on the door. Castiel opened the door after a few moments of silence.

"Sorry, Dean. Um, I just wanted to return this." Castiel set a cassette tape on Dean's desk and started to walk out the door.

"It's a gift," Dean stopped the angel, holding the cassette out to him. "You keep those."

"Oh." Castiel took the cassette tape back.

Dean sat silently for a few moments. "Cas, you can't—With everything that's going on, you can't just go dark like that. We didn't know what happened to you. We were worried. That's not okay."

"Well, I didn't mean to add to your distress," Castiel replied sincerely. "I—Dean, I just keep failing. Again and again. When you were taken, I searched for months and I couldn't find you. And then Kelly escaped on my watch, and I couldn't find her. And I just wanted, I _needed_ to come back here with a win for you. For myself."

"You think you're the only one rolling snake eyes here?" Dean asked. "Me, Angie, and Sam, we had her. We had Kelly and we lost her."

"And if you find her again?"

"Sam and Angie are working on it. Of course, they're hell-bent on finding something that doesn't mean killing her or her kid." Dean replied.

"Right," Castiel nodded. "And if they don't find something? If you run out of time, could any of you kill an innocent?"

"We will find a better way," Dean assured.

"You mean, we?" Castiel gestured to himself and Dean.

"Yes, dumbass. _We._ " Dean replied as he stood up. "You, me, Angie, and Sam, we're just better together. So, now that you're back, let's go, Team Free Will. Let's get it done."

"I'd like that." Castiel nodded.

"Great." Dean pursed his lips. "And I'd like a beer."

~/~\~

Much later that night, Sam and Angela were still in the library researching. Dean approached them and sighed heavily.

"Hey, come on, guys. Get some sleep, all right? You're not gonna find Dagon tonight." Dean said as he sat down.

"Dean, what if we've been going about this whole thing the wrong way, you know?" Sam asked. "I-I mean, we—we can't track Dagon, right? We know that. We've tried. But—but what if we can track the Nephilim?"

Dean cleared his throat and his brows furrowed slightly. "How?"

"Well okay, the baby's half-angel, right? So, remember Gadreel?" Sam asked.

"The psycho angel who took your body for a test drive?" Dean muttered. "Yeah, what about him?"

"All right, well there was this, uh, there was this spell—Cas and I were working on it—to—to find him."

"Yeah, but it didn't work," Angela recalled.

"Yeah." Sam sighed.

"You needed Gadreel's grace, and he couldn't yank enough out of you." Dean reminded.

Sam chuckled to himself as he realized something. "Of course."

"Of course what?" Dean asked.

"Of course, I am an idiot," Sam muttered.

"Well, there's no argument there," Dean replied.

"Dean," Angela chastised.

"No, stop. Dean—the grace extraction. The tracking spell was a bust, right? But, the extraction ritual worked." Sam explained.

"So?" Dean quirked a brow.

"So, what if Cas used it on Kelly's kid? I mean, a-a Nephilim is just a human soul with angelic grace, right?" Sam shrugged. "So, you remove the grace—

"Kid's just a kid." Dean finished.

"Kid's just a kid," Sam repeated. "That way, Kelly wouldn't have to die, and—and neither would her baby."

"Hot damn." Dean smiled.

"Hot damn." Sam nodded.

"You are a genius, baby." Angela took Sam's face in her hand and kissed him.

"I mean, we still obviously have to find Kelly in the first place," Sam added once he broke away from the kiss. "And, it's just a theory, but—

"No, no, no. No. That's—This is it. This is it, Sam." Dean replied. "I'll get Cas."

~/~\~

Dean walked up and knocked on Castiel's door. "Cas? Yo, Cas?"

He frowned and opened the door, then switching on the light. He looked around, only to see that Castiel was gone.

~/~\~

Dean and Angela were packing while Sam paced anxiously, trying to call Castiel.

 _"This is my voicemail. Make your voice a mail."_ Castiel's message played.

Sam sighed heavily and shook his head.

"Let me guess—no answer," Dean commented, clearly annoyed.

"I mean, how did Cas even get the Colt out of the safe in the first place?" Sam questioned.

Dean dropped his head guiltily. Sam and Angela just raised their eyebrows.

"Dean, you—you put the Colt back in the safe, right?" Angela asked. "Dean?"

"It was under my pillow," Dean muttered.

"It…" Sam trailed off in disbelief.

"I like to keep it close." Dean sighed. "He came into my room and he played me."

"Yeah, he played all three of us." Angela scoffed.

"Well, I say we find him and we kick his feathered ass."

"Dean, Cas wouldn't have taken the Colt if he wasn't going up against something big." Sam reasoned.

"Okay, I say we find him, figure out what's going on, and then kick his feathered ass," Dean repeated.


	38. The Future Part 2

_Fall River, Massachusetts_

There was a knock at Castiel's motel room door. He directed Kelly to the bathroom and opened the door with the Colt at the ready. When Castiel opened the door, he saw that it was Dean, Angela, Sam, and Grace.

"Yeah, that's mine." Dean took the Colt and stormed inside. "What the hell were you thinking, huh—

"Dean?" Sam called out when he noticed Kelly in the bathroom doorway.

"What?!" he snapped.

"Dean!" Angela gestured to Kelly.

"Kelly?" Dean's eyes widened slightly.

"Hey." She greeted.

"Hey," Sam replied.

"How did you find us?" Castiel demanded.

"Well, while you were scamming me for the Colt, Sam put a tracking app on your phone," Dean answered.

"Cas, when you came back, you didn't even look us in the eye. You wanna explain what's going on here?" Angela asked.

"Yeah. I found Dagon."

"And?" Sam asked.

"Did you kill her?" Dean added.

"No." Castiel sighed, earning a look from Dean. "She's difficult to kill, okay?"

"Yeah. You think?" Dean scoffed in annoyance.

"All right, so what are you doing here, then?" Sam inquired.

"I," Castiel sighed in embarrassment. "My truck broke down."

"Then—Then why didn't you call us?" Sam asked in confusion. "Cas, we could've helped you."

"I know. I wanted to keep you out of this. I-I was trying to keep you safe."

"You're not our babysitter, Cas, okay? That is not your job." Dean retorted. "And when in our whole lives have we ever been safe?"

"This is my responsibility because it is my plan," Castiel argued.

"Your plan?" Dean quirked a brow.

"He's taking me to Heaven." Kelly chimed in.

"You—You're taking her to the sandbox?" Dean deadpanned.

"Yes. I'm ending this, once and for all. Kelly and her baby have to die."

"No, they don't," Angela stressed. "Listen, we found another way."

"And you would know that if you would answer your phone," Dean added.

Castiel's brows creased in confusion. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"What you did with me, with—with Gadreel, remember?" Sam asked. "The—the grace extraction. We take the grace from the baby, from the Nephilim, and then the baby just becomes—

"Human." Castiel finished.

"Human." Sam nodded.

"Wait a minute," Castiel frowned. "That extraction, it nearly killed you."

"Yeah, but it didn't," Sam argued.

"Because we didn't finish it. We don't even know if this would work."

"There are kinks, yes, but it's a plan." Dean cut in. "And it beats the hell out of certain death. Am I right?" he asked Kelly.

"No." she replied as she shrugged on her jacket and walked out of the room.

"Hey, Kelly," Sam tried to stop her as they all followed her out. "Kelly. He, wait, wait. Wait a second, look. We—we can't imagine what you've been through, okay? But we promised we'd find another way, and we did. We found a better way. This can work."

"I'm going with Castiel," Kelly replied.

"No, Kelly, if you go with Cas, you die. Your baby dies." Angela argued.

"I go with you, you take away the thing that makes him special." Kelly snapped.

"How does that matter if you're both dead?" Sam demanded.

"That's the only thing that matters." She stressed.

"Okay, this girl has lost her mind." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Dean." Castiel reprimanded.

"Meanwhile, can we take this conversation elsewhere, guys?" Sam asked. "We're kind of sitting ducks out here."

"Sam's right. Dagon is after Kelly. Your truck is broke down. Why don't we get in the Impala, we'll head to the bunker, and we'll talk?" Dean suggested. "We'll figure it out."

"Right." Sam nodded.

"Okay, we'll talk." Castiel conceded.

"Great." Sam and Dean sighed.

"Gracie, why don't you go with uncle Cas?" Angela told her daughter.

'Kay, mommy." Grace smiled as she held Castiel's hand.

"It's like herding cats." Dean shook his head as Castiel, Kelly, and Grace walked to the Impala.

"Yeah." Sam agreed. "Okay, so what? We—we go back to the bunker and we just try to convince them to stay there forever?"

"Dean!" Castiel gestured to the door. "Locked."

Dean tossed Castiel the keys, and the angel opened the passenger door for Kelly. Kelly sat down and exhaled sharply, while Castiel buckled Grace into her car seat.

"It's not supposed to happen this way." Kelly murmured as Castiel climbed in the back and tossed the keys onto the front seat.

Kelly looked to the three hunters, looked to the keys, and started to slide across the seat.

"Kelly," Castiel frowned.

Kelly took the keys and turned the ignition, and the engine started to rumble.

"What are you doing?!" Castiel demanded as Kelly pealed out of the parking lot.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Dean yelled.

"Grace is in there!" Angela exclaimed with worry.

"Hey!" Sam yelled. "Hey! Hey! Whoa!"

~/~\~

Dean was working on fixing Castiel's truck and Angela bit her nails nervously.

"It's going to be okay, baby." Sam comforted. "Cas isn't gonna let anything happen to Gracie."

"I just don't want her to be scared." Angela's voice cracked. "How did this happen?"

Dean scoffed. "What? The lying? The Heaven plan? Or the fact that I'm working on this stupid truck?"

"No, she means, what's wrong with Cas?" Sam questioned.

"Well, he hasn't exactly had a banner year," Dean muttered. "I mean, think about it. Between Lucifer, killing Billie, Ramiel, everything's been blowing up in his face. And he's so desperate for a win right now, he can't even see straight." He explained as he gestured to the truck. "Go ahead and give it a try."

Sam climbed into the truck and turned the keys into the ignition. The engine squealed a bit before rumbling steadily.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela pulled up to the park in Castiel's beaten-up truck. Sam got out and immediately started shooting at Dagon, but it had no effect. Meanwhile, Angela ran to the Impala to check on Grace.

"Gracie, oh my god, are you okay?" Angela asked worriedly.

"I'm okay, mommy." Grace nodded. "Just sleepy."

As Sam started to reload his gun, Dagon flicked her arm and sent Sam flying backward. Dean took aim with the Colt and Dagon teleported behind him, grabbing Dean's arm and snapping his bone.

"Yeah," she took the Colt. "Time to take this off the board."

"No!" Dean yelled as Dagon melted the Colt with ease.

Dagon dropped the melted pieces and smirked. "Okay. Who wants ice cream?" she asked as she approached Castiel. "Kid, come on. It's just getting sad."

Castiel breathed heavily and looked at Kelly. "Run."

Kelly just took Castiel's hand in hers and smiled softly. Dagon laughed loudly.

"Aw! Adorbs!" she mocked as a golden light surged from Kelly to Castiel.

"Cas!" Sam and Angela cried out.

"No!" Dean yelled.

Dagon went to smite Castiel, but he blocked her power, clearly surprising her.

"How—

"Call it a miracle," Castiel replied as he grabbed her and set her on fire.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace approached Castiel, clearly shocked by what had happened.

"Cas?" Dean breathed out.

"What was that?" Sam asked in confusion.

"It was, um, it was me. But it was also…" Castiel trailed off as he looked at Kelly. "You're hurt." He healed Dean's broken arm. "Thank you for coming to fight for us."

"Are you okay?" Angela asked worriedly.

"I am." Castiel nodded. "I've been so lost. I'm not lost anymore. And I know now that this child must be born with all of his power."

"You can't actually mean that." Sam frowned.

"Yes. I do. I have faith. We have to go."

"Hey, Cas," Sam pleaded. "Wait a second. Wait, hold on. Just—

"You have to trust me." Castiel interrupted.

"No, no, no, wait. Okay, whatever that thing did to you, we're not just gonna let you walk away." Dean argued.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Angela scoffed.

"Yes, it is." Castiel touched Angela's forehead.

Angela inhaled sharply and fell unconscious.

"Cas, what the hell?!" Sam demanded.

Castiel touched Sam's forehead, and he fell unconscious as well. The angel turned to Dean, who shook his head.

"Don't," Dean pleaded as Castiel touched his forehead and knocked him out.

"Unca Cas?" Grace looked up at him with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry." Castiel apologized before he turned and walked away.


	39. Twigs & Twine & Tasha Barnes Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam, Dean, and Angela were sitting in the bunker, talking about what had happened the night before. Grace sat on Sam's lap and was coloring in her coloring book.

"Okay, so last night… that Super Mario power-up crap?" Dean asked. "That wasn't Cas. That freaking baby isn't even born yet and it sock puppeted him. Think about it." He stood up and walked over to where Sam and Angela were sitting. "Cas said that he had faith in Lucifer Jr.? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sam and Angela looked just as frustrated and confused as Dean.

"I don't know," Sam started. "I mean, look, this doesn't make any sense to us either, Dean. But if we wanna have some shot at finding Cas, then we have to… I don't know. Uh, try and think like him."

"How?" Dean demanded. "Seriously, I mean up until now, if Cas messed up, if he did something wrong, but he thought it was for the right reasons, I got it. Right? But last night, when I looked at him, I did not recognize the guy staring back at me."

Sam just turned away and reached for a bundle of brown leather, which he opened to reveal the Colt inside. It was melted and broken thanks to Dagon. Dean put his hands down on the table and leaned forward.

"Can you fix it?" Dean asked.

Sam picked up part of the Colt. "I hope so."

Suddenly, someone's cell phone started vibrating, and the hunters looked around.

"It's not me." Angela shrugged.

"Not me, either," Sam added.

"It's not me," Dean muttered.

Sam lifted up an open book and found the vibrating phone tucked underneath. He picked it up confusedly. "Must be one of Mom's," he muttered. "Hello?"

 _"Oh… uh… Sam?"_ Alicia's voice rang through. _"Uh, I didn't know y—Uh, it's Alicia. Banes."_

"Alicia?" Sam asked in surprise as he put the phone on speaker. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Like Max and Alicia?" Angela asked.

"Yeah."

_"Yeah, sorry to um… Uh, Mary gave me a couple different numbers to reach her, and we thought—_

_"No. No. Mnh-mnh."_ Max interrupted loudly.

 _"I thought Mary would be down to help,"_ Alicia explained. _"Uh, be our backup on this, um…"_

 _"You sound crazy."_ Max's voice rang through.

"Hey, guys. It's Angie. Uh, you two okay?" she asked concernedly.

 _"Yeah, depends who you ask,"_ Alicia answered. _"Um, Mom was hunting this witch who's killed people all over Wyoming. Uh, anyway, Mom usually checks in with us, but she's sort of disappeared."_

 _"Oh, my god,"_ Max complained. _"She did not disappear. She's busy."_

"Wait, so—so your mom is missing?" Dean asked.

"Where are you guys?" Angela questioned.

 _"We're on our way to Rock River, Wyoming,"_ Alicia answered. _"But Max thinks I'm overreacting, but I—_

 _"Because you're being dramatic."_ Max scoffed. _"Mom's fine. Stop bothering them."_

 _"Fine."_ Alicia conceded. _"Okay. Hey, we'll be okay. Uh, never mind."_

"No, wait, wait, wait, wait. Um…" Sam looked quickly up at Dean and Angela. "Hey, why don't you text us your address? We'll meet you."

 _"You will?"_ Alicia asked in surprise.

 _"They will what?"_ Max asked.

"We'll see you soon," Sam replied before hanging up.

"What the hell man?" Dean demanded. "What about Cas?"

"Dude, Cas ditched his cell phone. Look, Jody put an APB out for Cas and Kelly across three states." Sam shrugged.

"Until that shakes something loose or we get some other break, all we're doing is—is sitting here, banging our heads against a brick wall," Angela added. "Let's get out there. Let's…"

Sam sighed heavily. "Their mom's on a hunting trip and hasn't been home in a week."

Dean tilted his head and stared at Sam for a moment. He nodded and looked away. "All right. Let's go."

Sam and Angela turned to walk away, while Dean pulled out his phone and tried to call Mary.

~/~\~

 _"This is Mary. Leave a message."_ Her voicemail played.

"Mom. Hey, uh, just wanted to let you know that, uh, me, Angie, and Sam, we're uh, we're heading out on a case with those witch twins, uh, Max and Alicia. Um, I'll text you the info, but, uh… I know the Brits have got you and Robert running nonstop. So, if you can help out, that'd be great." Dean leaned against the table. "Um… and even if you can't swing by, can you call me back? Just some stuff going down that's… kind of got me spun out. Be good to talk to you." Dean finished his message and hung up.

~/~\~

_Rock River, Wyoming_

Alicia and Max were standing by a lake looking out on the water. The Impala parked next to their Jeep, and Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace walked over to Max and Alicia.

"Hey guys," Angela greeted.

"Hey." Alicia smiled.

"All right, well, we're here. What do you got?" Dean asked.

"Our mom is after a borrower witch," Alicia answered.

"So, witch that gets their power from a demon deal." Sam clarified.

"Mm-hmm."

"Okay, so you tracked your mom here?" Angela asked.

"And now we tracked her to the only vegan restaurant in town," Alicia replied. "They told up where she was staying."

"Anything else?" Sam raised his brows.

"I got the bartender's phone number," Max smirked proudly.

Alicia rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Ignore him."

Max grinned and then looked over at the Impala. "Dean… that car is still major."

"You want the tour?" Dean asked.

"Definitely." Max nodded eagerly.

"Come on," Dean replied. "Gracie, you wanna help with the tour?"

"Yeah!" Grace exclaimed happily as she held Dean's hand.

Max, Dean, and Grace walked over to the Impala leaving Sam, Angela, and Alicia to talk.

"Yeah. Max isn't really feelin' this." Alicia muttered.

"Yeah, we hadn't noticed." Sam laughed lightly.

"He always thinks he knows Mom better, but it's 'cause they're both natural witches. It's who they are."

~/~\~

Meanwhile, Max, Dean, and Grace were at the Impala. Dean opened the trunk to show Max the weapons inside.

"Whoa." Max raised his brows.

"Right?" Dean smirked.

"Nice."

Dean chuckled lightly. "Yeah."

"Is that a grenade launcher?" Max asked.

"Yes, she is." Dean nodded.

"Daddy says we don't need it," Grace added.

"Yeah," Dean reached in and pulled out a box of witch-killing bullets. "But, uh, this is what we need right now. Witch-killing bullets."

~/~\~

"And what about you?" Angela asked. "Uh, with magic."

"Nah, I don't have it," Alicia replied. "It's just kind of noise to me. Magic is definitely their thing, you know?"

"Yeah. When I was growing up, Dean and my dad had the same thing with hunting, that bond." Sam replied.

"What about with Mary?"

Sam fumbled slightly on how to answer the question. "I mean, she, uh, she gets into a case and just sort of vanishes."

"Yeah. No, Mary's a great hunter. So is Robert." Alicia replied. "Uh, they don't seem like the hugging kind."

"Yeah." Sam and Angela agreed.

"Hey!" Dean called out from the Impala.

"Let's go find your mom." Angela smiled softly.

~/~\~

The Impala pulled up to the boarding house and they all got out and looked around. Angela adjusted Grace on her hip.

"Well, her car's here." Alicia noticed.

"Well, no one's trying to hide it. That's good news." Dean added.

"Yeah." Sam and Angela agreed.

Suddenly, they heard a noise and turned to see a man that appeared to have just exited the cellar and closed the doors. They stared at the man who stared back at them for a few moments.

"Not weird. At all." Max said sarcastically.

Sam waved to the man, who just continued staring and then turned and walked away. Sam put his hands down somewhat awkwardly.

"All right, look, anything happens, you guys stay behind us," Dean instructed.

Alicia pulled out a knife that had runes carved onto it. "Yeah. Sure."

"Alicia…" Max warned as she headed towards the front door.

~/~\~

Andy turned around, flowers in hand when the door opened and the group came walking in.

"Uh, hi." Andy greeted.

"Hey…" Max greeted slowly.

"Can I help you?" Andy questioned.

"Yes, please." Angela nodded. "We're, uh, we're looking for, uh—

"Max? Alicia?" Tasha asked from behind them. "What are you two doing here?"

Dean, Angela, and Sam looked at each other. Max and Alicia grinned, relieved to see their mom.

"Mom!" Alicia ran to hug her.

"Sam, Dean, and Angela Winchester, meet the great Tasha Banes." Max introduced.

Tasha smiled at the three hunters. "The kids have told me very nice things."

"Alicia basically made them come just in case you were in peril," Max commented.

"Well, that was unnecessary, but very nice of you all the same." Tasha smiled. "Andy, can we get a couple rooms for my children and their friends?"

"Sure." Andy nodded. "It'll just be a minute."

"Great. You can wait in my room." Tasha told the hunters. "I have wine."

Alicia laughed and they started heading towards Tasha's room.

"Great." Max smiled.

Sam, Dean, and Angela followed close behind.

"Wine," Dean grumbled, not so happy about it.

"Just be happy you can actually drink alcohol." Angela laughed.

~/~\~

Tasha was opening a bottle of wine while Max, Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace were sitting down.

"So, Rock River's a dead end. No witches here, unfortunately." Tasha explained as Alicia walked over with wine glasses. "Thought this was the place—

"Well, then why didn't you call us?" Alicia interrupted. "I mean we—

"Ahem." Max cleared his throat loudly.

"I called and texted a lot." Alicia corrected.

"I'm sorry, baby. My phone hasn't been charging all day." Tasha explained as Alicia sat down. "Oh, but I did find a fantastic acupuncturist."

"Of course you did." Max and Alicia replied simultaneously.

Tasha appeared to be having trouble opening the bottle of wine.

"You want me to help with that?" Sam offered.

"Oh, I've got it," Tasha assured.

"No, but you always call on the fourth day of a hunt, no matter what," Alicia commented.

"Honestly, babe, it just slipped my—

There was a cracking noise as the cork finally came free from the wine bottle. Tasha hastily put her hand behind her back.

Max's brows furrowed slightly. "Mom? You okay?"

"I'm fine." She smiled as she handed the bottle to Sam. "Sam, you do the honors."

"Of course." Sam nodded as he got up to pour the wine.

"Alicia, put some music on," Tasha instructed.

Alicia got up and did as she was told. Tasha turned away from the group and held out her hand. Her index finger was clearly broken and she grabbed a hold of it and straightened it out with a few cracking noises. Finger repaired, she turned back to the group.

"Oh. I ordered food from that vegan place, but no deliveries."

"Oh, I can get it," Alicia replied.

"Oh, I'll grab it." Sam offered. "Uh, you guys stay, hang out, catch up. Dean… drink." He patted Dean on the knee and stood up to leave. "Baby, you wanna come with?"

"Sure." Angela stood up. "Gracie, be good, okay?"

"'Kay, mommy," Grace replied, resting her head on Dean's arm.

Dean smiled slightly as he took Sam's glass and poured the wine into his own.

~/~\~

Dean was checking his phone for any missed calls or messages and sighed when he saw that there weren't any. Tasha walked up to Dean and sat down next to him on the couch while Max and Alicia argued.

"Expecting a call?" Tasha asked.

"Oh. Guess not." Dean replied.

"Alicia…" Max trailed off. "Let's say later, I… hypothetically might need your Jeep to take it out for maybe a little cruise."

"Mm, let's not," Alicia replied, looking at her phone.

"You know, I gotta say, you did a bang-up job with those two," Dean commented as he adjusted Grace on his lap.

"You must be drunk." Tasha laughed.

"Off of wine?" Dean quirked a brow.

"Not fair," Max complained.

"Yeah. I did the best I could for Max and Alicia." Tasha muttered.

"No," Dean replied.

"I got lucky."

"I see how you are with them, all right?" Dean muttered. "It's good. You know, they're—They're happy."

"Alicia said you grew up in the life." Tasha noted.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Yeah, our dads raised me, Sam, and Angie to hunt."

"And your mother?" Tasha questioned.

Dean looked away and sighed. "That's complicated."

Tasha laughed and turned to face forward. "Yeah. Family's always complicated. Parents always seem smart and strong and perfect. It's only when you grow up that you realize that they're just people." She replied as she patted Dean on the arm and stood up.

~/~\~

Everyone was laughing and smiling when Sam and Angela returned with the food.

"Hey." Sam smiled.

"Daddy!" Grace ran over and hugged his leg.

"Oh!" everyone stood up excitedly.

"Food!" Max beamed.

"Oh! Who's hungry?" Tasha asked.

"Me!" Alicia replied.

"Oh, my goodness. Thank you." Tasha smiled at Sam and Angela.

"All right," Max rubbed his hands excitedly.

Sam and Angela gave Dean a looked and he grabbed his coat and got up, leaving his phone behind. Sam picked up Grace, who yawned slightly.

"Ooh, it smells so good," Alicia commented.

"All right, let's see what we've got," Tasha added.

"Here, I can set up over here." Alicia offered.

"Okay." Tasha nodded.

"We'll be right back, y'all," Dean told the Banes'

"Sure." Alicia nodded.

"Ah, you two," Tasha started. "Get—get it down. Grab some napkins."

Sam, Dean, and Angela left the room to talk in the hallway.

"I know that look," Dean started. "What's up?"

Angela pulled out a missing persons flyer and showed it to him. "This was posted outside the restaurant. That guy we saw earlier coming out of the cellar? He's been missing for a month."

"Okay, that's weird," Dean admitted. "Well, maybe Tasha's wrong. Maybe there is something going on here."

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "I'll let 'em know."

"No, no, no." Dean stopped his brother quickly. "Let's… We can handle it. Come on."


	40. Twigs & Twine & Tasha Barnes Part 2

_Rock River, Wyoming_

Sam, Dean, and Angela were outside at the cellar doors and Angela held Grace on her hip. Sam picked the lock on the door and they opened them and stood at the threshold looking down with a flashlight.

"Oh. Ugh." Sam cringed at the smell.

"Smells like death." Dean gagged.

"Yeah." Sam agreed.

"Go ahead." Dean nodded.

Sam's brows furrowed. "What? You."

"All right." Dean sighed.

"You stay out here, okay baby?" Sam looked at Angela.

"All right." Angela leaned up and kissed him quickly. "Holler if you need help."

Sam nodded and turned on his flashlight and the brothers started to head down the stairs.

~/~\~

Sam and Dean were looking around the cellar when Dean noticed two bodies covered in plastic.

"Sam," Dean called out.

Sam came over to look and turned on the light hanging from above. Dean pulled the plastic off the bodies. It was the man they saw when they arrived as well as Andy from the front desk.

"Ugh." Dean groaned at the stench.

Sam noticed another covered body on a table. "Dean."

Dean turned to look while Sam pulled back the cover to reveal Tasha. Dean moved closer, his brows furrowed.

"Son of a bitch."

"Her heart's been ripped out," Sam commented.

"So have theirs." Dean gestured to the two bodies.

Sam turned to look at them and then back at Dean. "Wait, this is everybody that's in the house."

"Okay, well, if this is the real Tasha, then who the hell was I talking to up there?" Dean questioned.

Sam looked just as confused and looked back down at Tasha. Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching and pulled out their guns.

"Whoa, hey, babe, it's me," Angela assured.

"Hey." Max greeted.

The boys put their guns down as Max and Angela came down the stairs into the cellar.

"Hey, Max. Uh…" Sam trailed off.

"I saw Angie. You guys find some trouble to get into?" Max smirked.

Sam attempted to prevent Max from walking further into the cellar. "Nah. No, no. We—We—we just, uh…"

Sam stopped talking as Max came close enough to see Tasha behind Sam. Max stopped and stared confusedly.

"I just…"

He walked closer to the table still staring. As he got closer, he realized the truth of what he was seeing and let out a sob.

"I just…"

~/~\~

Max came bursting into the room where Alicia was talking with the Tasha imposter.

"No, I think he's really—

Max grabbed the imposter and shoved her against the wall. "Who are you?"

"Max?" Alicia cried out.

Max pushed the creature against the wall roughly. "What did you do to my mom?"

Alicia tried to run to them, but Sam and Dean held her back.

"Max!" Alicia sobbed. "What are you—

"Wait, wait, wait." Sam interrupted.

"Tell me!" Max roared.

"What are you doing?" the Tasha imposter asked.

"Let her go!" Alicia pleaded.

"That's not your mom," Angela told her.

"What?" Alicia frowned.

"Shh." Sam hushed.

"What are you talking—Mom!" she cried out.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. It's okay." Sam assured.

"Max, what is wrong, sweetie?" the Tasha imposter asked in concern.

"Don't!" he snapped. "Don't. You are not my mom."

"Max—

"I don't know what kind of thing you are, but you are not my mom." Max interrupted angrily.

"Max! Stop!" Alicia pleaded.

Max's eyes glowed purple as he performed magic on the creature. "Reveal. Now! Reveal!"

The creature's face went blank and she started to shake and make cracking noises.

"The… the room, end of the hall. Top of the stairs."

Max let go of the imposter and ran to follow the directions given by the creature. Dean followed close behind.

~/~\~

"Got him," Dean said.

Out in the hallway, Dean and Max saw the man from the cellar. Max used magic on him and the man went flying out the window, where he laid twitching and cracking. Max ran past the window as Dean looked out at the man before running after Max.

"Max!"

~/~\~

Back in the room, the Tasha imposter collapsed and Alicia rushed over to her in worry.

"Mom!"

~/~\~

Dean and Max kicked in the door at the end of the hall. The elderly woman sitting in her chair seemed unimpressed.

"Really?" she asked. "People are trying to sleep."

Dean pointed his gun at the woman. "All right, lady, craft time's over."

She turned around and with a smile, waved her hand at Dean, who went flying into a chair across the room. Max looked at Dean and then back at the woman.

~/~\~

Alicia was frantically trying to get her mom to wake up. Angela set Grace down on the couch and rushed to help Sam with Alicia.

"Mom! Mom!" she sobbed.

The Tasha imposter kept twitching and cracking. Alicia pulled back from it in fear.

"This magic, what is it?" Alicia asked.

"I don't know. I don't know." Sam admitted, looking toward Angela.

Sam turned around and looked up to see Andy standing right behind him, staring at him.

~/~\~

The elderly woman got up out of her chair with a smile on her face as she stared at Max.

"Oh. How lucky am I?" the woman gasped. "Such an impressive witch. Maybe you'll take the deal the last bitch wouldn't."

Max's face twitched in anger as he stared the elderly woman down.

~/~\~

Sam and Angela got a few good punches in, but Randy didn't so much as flinch, and he could recover quickly from any damages. Alicia was kneeling next to the Tasha imposter and Grace hid behind the couch. Sam and Angela looked at each other nervously.

~/~\~

"My mother… you killed her." Max sneered.

"Did I?" the woman replied nonchalantly.

"What did you do to all those people?" Dean demanded.

"Oh. Let me show you." The woman smiled wickedly.

She snapped her fingers and both Dean and Max bent over in excruciating pain, while a vision of Tasha on a table in pain flashed through their minds.

"I'm reaching the end of my very long life, and it's a problem," the woman explained. "'Cause I sold my soul for power. So when I pass, my soul goes to Hell. Unless I can find someone to take the burden, to take my magic."

~/~\~

Sam and Angela were still trying to fight Andy but to no avail. Andy smashed Sam onto the coffee table and sent Angela across the room.

"Sam! Angela!" Alicia cried out before she turned to the creature and tried to wake her up. "Mom! Mom!"

~/~\~

"When your mother found me, and when I realized what she was, I offered to teach her." The woman explained. "I offered her my power. But even dying, she was rude. So… I made her into one of my creatures. That doll has all of your mother's memories. It's her. Mostly." She smiled as she released Dean and Max from the vision. "Just like the others. Rick, Andy—They do what I want, when I want. I'm old. I like things a certain way."

"No. No!" Max shouted as he cast a spell on the woman, but it had no effect.

~/~\~

Andy got a few more punches in before he grabbed a hold of Sam and started to choke him.

~/~\~

Max frowned in confusion when he saw that the woman was still standing there unphased.

"Nice try," she started. "If you kill me, well, then all of them just fall apart," she added as she inched closer to Max. "So, here's the offer. You take my power. You take my burden, and my doll—your mother—will stay with you and your sister forever. Just one big happy family."

"Max, no," Dean started as Max considered the offer. "Listen to me. Your mother is gone, okay? It's awful and it sucks… but that's—Ah!"

Dean yelled in pain as the woman snapped her fingers. Max looked quickly at Dean and then back at the woman. She took her ring off her finger and smirked.

"So… do we have a deal?"

~/~\~

Andy was choking Sam while Angela held Grace from behind the couch, trying to protect her. Alicia looked at Sam and got up and threw Andy off of Sam. While doing so, the Tasha creature's eyes glowed white.

"You okay?" Alicia asked as Angela stood up, holding Grace.

They all looked over at Andy, who was struggling to get up. Alicia turned around and saw the Tasha doll standing.

"Mom!" she beamed.

The Tasha doll pulled out a knife and stabbed Alicia through the stomach and Alicia collapsed to the ground, gasping.

"No!" Sam and Angela cried out.

~/~\~

The elderly woman offered the ring with an enticing smile on her face. "Take it… and the deal is done."

Max seemed to ponder the offer while Dean attempted to grab his gun.

"Take it." The woman repeated.

Max reached out to take the ring, and the woman smiled gleefully. Suddenly, a shot rang out and the woman began to bleed from her stomach, stunned. Dean gripped his gun and looked at Max sadly.

~/~\~

The Andy and Tasha dolls stepped towards Sam and suddenly disintegrated into ash. Angela set Grace down behind the couch and knelt next to Alicia with Sam.

"Alicia," she started softly. "Hey. Hey. Hey, hold on. Just—Just take it easy. Take it easy, hon. We're gonna get you some help."

~/~\~

Max turned to Dean, stunned that he shot the woman. "Why did you…"

"Max, listen to me," Dean stood up. "Hey, hey. I had to, okay? That deal wasn't with her. It was with a demon. You even touch that magic and you lose your soul."

"Dean!" Angela yelled from the other room.

Dean patted Max on the shoulder. "Come on."

~/~\~

Alicia was writhing and pain and the couple were unsure of what to do.

"Don't fight," Sam murmured. "Don't—Shh, shh. Just take it easy, okay? Take a breath. Shh."

Alicia inhaled a quick breath and then her body stilled.

"Alicia?" Angela frowned.

Dean walked into the room and Sam looked up at him.

"She, uh…" he trailed off as Max entered the room.

"Alicia?" Max ran to his sister. "What? Please. No, no, no." he sobbed. "Hey. Hey! Please, no. No, no, no!"

~/~\~

Max was standing outside by himself, his eyes red and his cheeks tear-stained. Sam, Dean, and Angela approached and Angela held a sleeping Grace on her hip.

"Hey, Max," Sam started gently. "Um, this is, uh… Look, you—you're probably in shock right now, but it's gonna pass."

"And then it's gonna hurt," Dean added.

"I could've saved them…" Max's voice wavered. "My mom. If I had just… taken Alicia seriously."

"Come on, man, you can't think like that." Dean shook his head.

"Just stop talking. Please." Max snapped.

"Sure." Sam nodded. "We'll, uh, go get some supplies. We have to, uh—

"We gotta burn the bodies, Max," Dean told the younger man.

"Like my dad." He muttered. "I can do it. I… I should do it. You guys get out of here."

Angela sighed sadly. "Max, we would—

"Please. Please just…" Max looked at the hunters a bit angrily.

The hunters nodded slightly and turned to walk away, leaving Max by himself.

~/~\~

The Impala cruised down the rainy road and Grace was sleeping in the back seat.

"You did the right thing," Angela told Dean. "You saved him."

"Yeah. Yeah, he seemed super saved." Dean retorted sarcastically. "You know, I was watching them, this loving family. And now just like that, it's gone."

"Dean, you couldn't let Max make some deal for his soul." Sam reasoned.

"We do terrible things all the time to save each other," Dean argued. "I mean, that's what you do for family. Who am I to stop him?"

"Well, he's strong. He'll be all right." Sam assured.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure," Dean muttered.

~/~\~

Dean was driving the Impala and Sam's head rested on Angela's shoulder as he slept. Angela gently ran her fingers through his hair. Dean pulled out his phone and saw a message from Mary and a message from Robert.

 _"Hey, it's me,"_ Mary's message started. _"Sorry I couldn't pick up before. Robert and I were on a hunt with Ketch. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you and Sam, but I wanna be. I just… I need to finish this. I miss you boys. I love you."_

Dean smiled as the message ended and then played Robert's message.

 _"Dean, call me. Angie's not answerin' her phone,"_ Robert started. _"We've got a problem."_

"Everything okay?" Angela asked softly so she didn't wake Sam.

"No," Dean replied. "Something's wrong."


	41. There's Something About Mary Part 1

Sam, Dean, and Angela walked into a grungy motel room, and Angela carried Grace.

"Mom? Mom." Dean checked around the room. "Well, looks like she and Robert haven't been here for a while."

"Yeah," Angela replied. "All their stuff is gone. Did dad say they were moving on or—

"No, I told you what he said, kiddo," Dean replied. "He said, Dean, call me. We have a problem. And then that was it. He didn't sound happy."

"Okay, well, when they're not here, they've been bunking with the Brits." Sam shrugged. "So maybe—

"Well, dude, I've called Mick, like six times." Dean interrupted. "He's been radio silent since they sent him to London." He scoffed as he dialed Ketch's number. "Ketch, calling to see if Mom and Robert are with you. It's Dean. Winchester. Because I'd like to speak to them, that's why." Dean rolled his eyes in annoyance. "No, I'm not being terse. Look, if you haven't seen them, do you know where they are? No, I'm not being curt either. Look, I don't have time for Manners 101 from you, okay? If they're with you, I wanna know about it. Fine." Dean scoffed as he hung up. "Such a dick."

"And?" Sam asked.

"He says he hasn't seen Mom or Robert in over a week."

"But Mary called two days ago, said they were working a case with Ketch." Angela frowned.

"Which means he's lying." Dean pursed his lips.

"But why would he…" Sam trailed off as his phone rang. "Jody." His brows furrowed as he answered the phone. "Jody, hey. No, what? No." Sam frowned deeply. "Uh, no, we hadn't heard."

"Mom?" Dean asked worriedly.

"Dad?" Angela frowned.

Sam shook his head. "Um, when? What the hell happened? Oh, no. No. I-I, yeah, thanks for letting me know. Bye."

"Who?" Angela asked sadly.

"Eileen." Sam breathed out.

"How?" Dean questioned.

"She was, uh, mauled by a wild animal in a wooded area that doesn't have animals that do that, in South Carolina," Sam explained.

Dean's brows furrowed. "But I thought she was in Ireland. Sam…"

"Dean, that's the second hunter death we've heard about in two weeks." Sam cut him off.

"I know." Dean nodded. "But two doesn't mean a pattern."

"Three would." Angela murmured.

"Meaning?" Dean asked.

"Dad or Mary. Or both." Angela's voice cracked. "They're hunters, and no one knows where they are."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace were in the morgue. The three hunters stared at Eileen's body sadly.

"Gracie, close your eyes," Angela told her daughter gently.

Grace nodded and did as she was told.

"People who do what we do, you know there are gonna be deaths, but… This." Sam shook his head.

"These wounds—I mean, we've only seen something this bad a few times," Dean noted.

"Hellhound?" Angela asked.

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "But it doesn't make any sense. Why would a—why would a demon sic a hellhound on her? Why did she leave Ireland?"

"I don't know, Dean," Sam muttered.

"All right, well, counting Eileen, that makes seven hunters in three weeks," Angela replied.

"Yeah, and those are the ones we know about," Sam added.

"Seven monster-related deaths," Dean started. "I mean, what, did all the things out there suddenly start working together?"

"Monsters and demons don't team up." Sam shook his head. "Seven hunters are gone. We can't grab a signal from Mom or Robert's phones. Cas has Kelly Kline who knows where. Mick has slipped off the grid. Ketch is lying to us. I-I… I wanna punch something in the face."

Angela took Sam's hand in hers and squeezed his hand comfortingly. Sam looked down at her and pressed a sweet kiss to the top of her head.

"Good," Dean started. "Hold on to that, 'cause it looks like we got a hellhound to deal with. Which means…"

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam was on the phone with Crowley as they pulled up to the bunker.

 _"I'm telling you,"_ Crowley's voice rang through. _"I don't know anything about it. The name Eileen Leahy means nothing to me."_

"Crowley, only a demon can control a hellhound." Sam retorted. "Which means that one of your people was involved."

 _"If that were the case, I would know about it. There are no missing hellhounds."_ Crowley assured. _"I was cuddling with them just last night."_

"Right," Sam sighed. "And you know nothing else of the other hunters who are dying?"

 _"Not only don't I know, I don't care,"_ Crowley replied before the line went dead.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Grace walked into the bunker and froze when they saw Robert sitting at the table.

"Dad?" Angela's brows furrowed in confusion.

Robert stood up and walked towards them. "Hey, Pumpkin. Hi boys."

"Robert, what are you doing here?" Sam asked. "We couldn't track your phone, we thought something happened."

"Had to ditch my phone so the Brits couldn't track me," Robert answered. "They're tracking all of the American hunters."

"Dad, where's Mary?" Angela frowned deeply.

"She's still with the Brits—

"You left her there?!" Dean demanded.

"She _told_ me to get out of there. One of us had to get out of here and get back to you." Robert informed Dean.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, Grace, and Robert were at the local post office. Dean was picking up the mail while everyone else stayed in the car and Sam was talking to someone on the phone.

"Yeah. Yeah, no, I appreciate it. Thanks." Sam said before he hung up as Dean got in the car. "So, I've been calling around about all of the hunters that died. Um, every one of them had years of experience."

"We got a letter from Eileen." Dean held up an envelope.

"Eileen?" Angela asked in confusion.

"She sent it four days ago. It went snail mail 'cause she thought that her phone and her computer were both hacked. She left Ireland because she was scared."

"Scared of what?" Sam questioned.

"Well, after she accidentally killed that—that Brit douche Renny, she thought that the British Men of Letters were on her."

Angela took the envelope from Dean and opened up the letter. "I know they're following me, watching me. They tapped my phone. I found a microphone in my room. I hate to be all girly, but could I bunk with you guys for a few days until I sort this out?"

"You think the Brits were watching her?" Dean asked.

"Dad, you're right," Angela muttered. "They're tracking us and—

"Maybe they're the ones that killed her," Dean muttered.

"We need to check the bunker," Angela suggested. "They could've bugged us."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Robert began searching for bugs around the bunker. Dean checked inside the fridge and sniffed an old burger.

"Ugh." He cringed.

Angela felt under the map table and noticed a microphone. She looked up and waved Sam, Dean, and Robert over.


	42. There's Something About Mary Part 2

"Those hunters you were talking to, is one of them Terry Marsh?" Dean asked as he motioned for Sam and Angela to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Terry Marsh in Missouri. I talked to him. He, uh, he's also thinking it's not monsters doing the real killing."

"Okay, well, I got a text from him," Dean replied. "He's been nosing around, says he's got a fair idea of what's going on."

"And?" Angela asked.

"He doesn't feel safe talking about it on the phone. He wants to meet. The old ironworks off the interstate. Tomorrow night at 9:00. He says park off the road by the warehouse."

"Alright." Sam nodded.

The hunters looked at each other and Sam clenched his fist, clearly angry.

~/~\~

Later that night, the Impala pulled up in the Impala. Sam, Dean, and Angela got out and went inside. Another car was waiting on the outside. A few men from the British Men of Letters got out and followed the hunters. Lady Bevell waited inside the car. After the two men entered, Dean locked them inside. Toni, realizing that something was wrong, cocked her gun. Dean smashed in the driver's side window and Toni started shooting out the passenger side. Dean and Toni struggled until she kicked him in. the groin. She reached for her gun, but a foot slammed down on it, stopping her. Toni looked up to see Sam and Angela pointing their guns at her.

"You keep that up, we're gonna have to start dating." Dean sassed.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela sat in the front seat of the Impala while Toni sat in the back. Sam kept his gun pointed at her as Dean drove.

"Why are you spying on us?" Sam demanded. "Oh, and what do you know about Eileen Leahy?"

"Who?" Toni asked.

"Did you—did—did your people, did they kill her?" Dean questioned.

"Probably," she replied bluntly. "Rule of thumb—if you think we killed someone, then we probably did. Speaking of, you do realize that by attacking me, you invite the retribution of the entire British Men of Letters? Investigation, no trial. Just punishment and ruin. Possibly at the hands of Mary Winchester."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Angela narrowed her eyes.

"Mary, well, she's our permanent guest."

"She's your prisoner?" Sam frowned. "Why?"

"Prisoner?" Toni scoffed. "Who said anything about prisoner? No, Mary's joined the team. Even has her own super secret decoder ring."

"You're lying." Sam seethed.

"You're right. There is no ring." Toni sassed. "Oh, boys and their mums. See, you see her as Mummy. We see her as one of our best killers."

"You know, just 'cause she works with Ketch doesn't mean she likes him. Or you." Dean glared.

"Oh, that Oedipal myopia again." Toni rolled her eyes. "And did you really think she was just 'working' with Ketch? All of those days and nights?"

"That's enough," Sam replied firmly.

"He said it was some of the best sex he'd ever had." Toni continued.

Dean slammed on the breaks, sending Toni forward. "You wanna rethink that?"

"Fine." Toni huffed. "He said it was the best sex he'd ever had."

Dean reached for Toni angrily.

"Dean, Dean!" Angela pulled Dean back.

"Ah!" Toni screamed.

"All right," Angela stopped Dean from practically killing Toni.

"Keep it up," Dean warned the British woman.

"What about Mick? Where is he in all of this?" Sam asked.

"Mick?" Toni asked incredulously.

"Yes, Mick," Sam replied obviously.

"Oh, Mick's dead."

"He's dead?" Angela frowned.

"Quite." Toni nodded. "It was determined he was too sentimental for the job. Turns out, he was too much like you three and all the other U.S. hunters. Ergo, soon each and every hunter will join him. Jody Mills, Claire Novak, all of your other flannel-wearing, whiskey-swilling friends. They're dead."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Toni were walking down the bunker stairs.

"So, we're clear?" Dean asked. "You call Ketch, tell him if he wants to see you alive, he gets his prissy ass over here."

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they noticed Grace and Robert were each tied to a chair and several British Men of Letters and Ketch were standing there with their guns drawn. Sam immediately pointed his gun at Ketch.

"Interestingly, his prissy ass is already here," Ketch responded. "Lady Bevell, would you mind disarming them?"

As Toni started to disarm Sam, he grabbed her arm and began shooting with deadly accuracy. Dean and Angela pulled out their guns and started shooting as well. Sam backed away using Toni has a human shield. Ketch pointed one of his cronies in another direction to get behind the hunters. Dean motioned Sam to get behind Ketch while Dean killed one of the cronies who attempted to get behind him. Angela slid up behind Ketch and grabbed his gun, pointing it at Ketch's head.

"You tied up my baby," Angela snarled dangerously. "I should kill you right here and now. Get up."

"All right, Ketch, how many more guys are in here?" Sam demanded.

"Our mom—Where is she?" Dean questioned angrily.

Suddenly, Mary came into view pointing a gun. "Don't move."

"Ah, speak of the devil," Ketch smirked.

"Just stay where you are," Mary warned.

Ketch attempted to move, but Angela stopped him. "Hey! You heard her."

"I was talkin' to you." Mary narrowed her eyes.

"Mom?" Dean frowned. "Hey!"

Angela took a shot in Mary's direction while Ketch grabbed both guns from Angela.

"Ketch, stop," Sam warned.

"I really wouldn't move," Ketch responded. "She _will_ shoot you."

Mary walked up to the brothers and took their guns.

"Mummy always was a talented hunter," Toni started. "Just somewhat confused about obeying orders."

"What did you do to her?" Robert demanded.

"Lady Bevell cleared up that confusion," Ketch answered. "And I suspect she told you that the American hunters are a dying breed. Hmm." He hummed as he and Mary walked up the stairs, Toni attempting to follow. "Oh. For heaven's sake, where do you think you're going?"

"Ketch." Toni frowned.

"Remember at Kendricks, how they taught us that we were all expendable?" Ketch asked Toni. "That wasn't idle chat."

"Mom? Look at me!" Dean pleaded.

Mary walked up to the railing of the stairs and pointed her gun at the hunters.

"It's us," Dean reminded. "Please. What's wrong with you? Mom!"

"Your bunker is an excellent fortress," Ketch commented. "An even better tomb. So, we've rejiggered the locks, we've shut off the water, and once we leave, the pumps that bring in the air shall reverse. Your oxygen should be gone in two days, maybe three. You dying in here, it's almost poetic, hmm? Come along, Mary."

"Ketch!" Toni pleaded.

Ketch and Mary left the bunker and bolted the door. Dean ran up the stairs and pounded on the door.

"No!" he yelled as the bunker started powering down.


	43. Who We Are Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Sam, Dean, Angela, Robert, Grace, and Toni were in the bunker where the power and air supply had been shut down. Dean was shining a flashlight at a locked circuit control panel while Angela checked on Grace.

Dean slammed his fist against the panel in frustration.

"You okay, Gracie?" Angela asked her daughter.

"That was scary, mommy." Grace whimpered.

"I know, baby." Angela held her daughter. "I got you now, okay?"

"All right," Sam sighed heavily. "The garage?"

"Doors are warded and the walls are reinforced steel," Toni replied.

"Okay," Robert pursed his lips. "Um, you know, maybe we could get out through the air vents."

Toni scoffed. "You wouldn't get far. There are choke points in the duct system, not even _I_ could squeeze through."

"I say we kill her." Dean glared daggers at the woman. "I mean, you heard Ketch. Said we had about three days of air left. So if we ice her, maybe that buys us an extra day."

"I assure you, Dean, I'm an _extraordinarily_ shallow breather."

"Yeah, right." Dean scoffed.

"If we ever get out of here, I am the one who programmed your mother, which means that I am the only one who can undo it." Toni continued. "And since I assume you want Mummy back, you need me."

"You guys believe her?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Sam admitted.

"Look, if she's lying, sure, we take her out. But Mary is still out there, brainwashed." Angela added. "If she's telling the truth, then we do need her."

Dean pursed his lips. "All right, you're so smart, how do we get out of here?"

"The only way out is to pull the manual override," Toni informed.

"Is that a thing?" Robert quirked a brow.

"Oh, it is." She nodded. "But it's outside the bunker, where we can't reach it."

"Awesome," Dean muttered sarcastically.

"Wait a second, guys," Sam started. "We're in a _giant_ vault loaded down with—with occult books and lore. There's gotta be something in here—an item or a spell—some hoodoo that can reverse the lockdown."

~/~\~

_Day One_

Sam, Dean, Angela, Robert, and Toni were all sitting around the table reading lore books while Grace napped.

"I think I got something," Sam broke the silence. "When the Romani people were forced to assimilate in Europe, the, uh, the Romans used a spell, the Abrogation ritual, as an act of rebellion against their persecutors. The Devla turns back complex mechanical processes, resets equipment, machinery."

"What's it take?" Robert asked.

"Seems like pretty basic ingredients. Nothing we don't already have." Sam shrugged before a frown settled on his face. "Oh."

"What?" Toni asked.

"The mechanisms 'must be anointed with the blood of virgins.'" Sam replied.

Dean looked at Toni, raising his eyebrows. Toni rolled her eyes in response.

"Not _even_ close."

"All right, well, then, I guess we keep lookin'." Dean sighed heavily.

"Or we fake it," Sam suggested.

"Excuse me?" Toni scoffed.

"We fake it," Sam repeated. "I mean, I've read half a dozen purification rituals in the last hour. If we used one of those on—on our blood…"

"Then what? Revirginize it?" Angela asked.

"Maybe." Sam nodded.

"So, we purify the blood, then do the spell," Toni smirked. "Two-step, hybrid magic."

~/~\~

Sam cut his hand and let the blood drip into a bowl while he recited a spell in Latin. Angela, Robert, Dean, and Toni followed suit with their blood. As Sam finished the spell, a white light emanated from the bowl.

"All right, that's step one. Step two, you're up." Sam looked at Toni.

"Farmichi, farmichi, mashuna parra, mashuna parra." Toni recited as she sprinkled something into the bowl.

There was a rumbling sound and the table started shaking. Electricity started cracking and the lights flickered on and off.

"It's working." Sam smiled. "It's working!"

The bunker was powering up and they all looked around the room in surprise. Then, the bunker powered down again almost immediately.

"No." Toni sighed. "No."

"What happened?" Angela asked with a frown.

"Ketch! He knew we'd…" Toni exhaled sharply. "He must've put some kind of mystical dampener on the bunker's lockdown. Magic won't work."

~/~\~

_Day Two_

"Okay, we have… exhausted brains," Dean said as he unrolled blueprints on the table. "So, I say we try brawn."

"How?" Robert asked as he adjusted Grace in his arms.

"Walls," Dean answered. "Now the garage, the Crow's Nest, these are all reinforced steel walls, right? But right here," he pointed. "That's nothing but concrete. And right there, that's an old sewer pipe, goes straight up to the surface… to the override."

"So, wait a second," Sam's brows furrowed. "We're just gonna…"

"Straight Shawshank this bitch." Dean nodded.

~/~\~

Dean stood in front of a concrete wall with a pickaxe while Sam and Robert stood off to the side. Dean swung the pickaxe at the wall and got hit in the face with debris.

"Goggles?" Sam asked.

"Goggles." Dean nodded.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Robert were taking alternate strikes at the wall. After several strikes, they had barely made an impact.

"Yeah," Dean grunted as they sat down, breathing heavily.

"Oh, yeah." Sam groaned.

"We earned a break," Robert muttered as Angela walked over to sit next to Sam.

"Yeah." Sam agreed.

"We'll get there," Dean assured.

"No." Sam shook his head. "No, we won't. We're not gonna hit dirt for three days. Two if we're lucky. I know you feel it—the air, it's thin." He inhaled deeply. "And it's getting thinner."

"How did this happen?" Angela murmured.

"What part?"

"All of it," Sam replied.

"Yeah," Dean muttered dejectedly. "You know, it wasn't long ago, I thought we had it made. We saved the world. We got Cas back. We got Mom and Robert back. I mean, it wasn't perfect, but still, we had 'em. And now…"

"What they did to Mom." Sam scoffed. "I just fell for their company line. Man, I… I saw what they were doing, and I—and I thought, hunters on that scale, working together… how much good we can do. And once I was in, I… I just followed. 'Cause it was easy." He muttered. " _Easier_."

"Easier than what?" Dean asked.

"Easier than leading," Sam whispered as he pulled Angela closer to him and rested a hand on her slightly swollen stomach.

Dean nodded in agreement while Robert picked up a piece of concrete and tossed it.

"Is this how you pictured it? The end?" Sam asked.

"Oh, you know it's not." Dean shook his head. "I always thought we'd go out like… Butch and Sundance style."

Sam chuckled softly. "Yeah."

"Blaze of glory." Angela murmured.

"Blaze of glory," Dean repeated as a smirk slowly formed. "Son of a bitch."

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, Robert, Grace, and Toni were in the war room.

"You're lunatics," Toni commented in disbelief. "This is a _colossally_ stupid idea."

"Yep." Deal held up the grenade launcher. "Big, beautiful, and dumb. Been waiting for the perfect moment to use it."

"The explosion could kill us all," Toni argued. "You could bring the whole bloody place crashing down."

Sam and Dean looked at each other and chuckled. "Yeah."

"You're lunatics," Toni repeated. "Action movie-loving, cheeseburger-eating, moronic American lunatics."

Robert ushered Toni out of the room while Sam led Angela and Grace out of the room.

"Okay, beautiful," Dean smirked. "Yippee-ki-yay, mother—

~/~\~

Sam, Angela, Grace, Robert, and Toni were on the floor in the other room, covering their ears. As the explosions ended, Sam turned on his flashlight.

"Stay here, baby." He whispered to Angela before he went to find Dean. "Dean? Dean!"

Sam stumbled through the debris to the concrete wall and saw a huge hole, which was blocked with concrete and debris from the explosion.

"Dean?" Sam called out.

Sam made his way back to the war room, struggling to walk as the lack of air started to take its toll. In the war room, just as he collapsed to the ground, the bunker began to power up and air pumped into the room. A door creaked open and Dean limped in, his knee bloody and torn open.

"Hey, lunatic." He smirked at Sam.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, Robert, Grace, and Toni were outside of the bunker. Dean was handcuffing Toni in the backseat and Angela was buckling Grace in while Sam sifted through a cigar box of cell phones.

"Uh, dead." Sam tossed one of the phones back into the box.

"Wait, I got one." Dean started dialing. "Garth? Hey. Oh, man. It's good to hear your voice. Listen, uh, those Brits I told you about, they've got a hit out on American hunters. I'm guessing that goes double for werewolf hunters, so…" Dean explained. "No, I don't have time to explain."

Toni shifted around in the back seat, clearly annoyed while Angela tried another cell phone.

"You and Bess need to get someplace safe," Dean told Garth. "Okay? All right."

"Hey." Angela looked up, concerned. "Jody."

~/~\~

_Sioux Falls, South Dakota_

The Impala pulled up to Jody's house and the hunters got out of the car quickly.

"Jody?" Dean called out.

"Jody. Alex." Sam looked around.

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Robert walked into Jody's living room. Robert held Grace and they all noticed blood on the carpet. Alex stood by Jody as she sat, holding an ice pack to her face.

"Hey." Alex greeted.

"Hey," Sam replied. "Where is she?"

Jody pointed to Mary who was across the room, tied to a chair.

"Hello, boys. Angela." Mary smirked.

~/~\~

Alex was taking care of Dean's knee while Jody held Grace.

"When she clocked me out of the blue, I thought she was a demon," Jody commented. "I had no idea that brainwashing could be so thorough."

"Jody, she…" Dean sighed deeply. "It's not your fault. Fortunately, Alex came home."

"All I did was buy you time. You knocked her out." Alex replied.

Dean grunted and grimaced in pain as Alex worked.

"I'll get you something for the pain."

Dean downed the rest of his drink. "Make it a double."

Jody walked over to Dean and patted his arm in sympathy. Dean took her free hand and squeezed it.

"Aw. You wanna play mother to my son? He's all yours." Mary smirked darkly.

"Dean… that's not your mom," Jody assured.

"What's the matter, Dean? Am I too different from the Mary you know?" she asked as the door opened. "Or too much the same?"

The front door closed and Sam walked in with Toni, who was still handcuffed.

"Here she is. Do your thing."

"All right, you said you could fix her, so fix her," Dean told Toni.

"I, um… Well, I—

"She lied." Mary interrupted.

"What?" Robert frowned.

"Mary's programming… It's permanent." Toni admitted.

Dean's brows furrowed. "But you said…"

"You were going to _kill_ me." Toni defended. "The Mary that you know, the good Mary, she's hiding behind impenetrable psychic walls. And I'm afraid these walls…" she scoffed. "Well, they can't be torn down with grenades. Your mother can't be saved."

~/~\~

Dean cocked his gun as he approached Toni. "All right, 'Lady,' time's up. We only kept you alive for one reason."

"Hey guys," Angela started as Mary's phone vibrated. "Listen, uh, Ketch keeps calling Mary's phone."

"I'll get it," Mary suggested.

"Let it go to voicemail," Dean commanded as he shoved Toni. "Let's take a nice little short walk to the backyard."

"This is not going to stop," Toni replied. "Soon enough, they'll find out you're alive, and then… Well, if you want my advice—run."

"We're not running." Robert scoffed.

"Well, then, you die."

"Or…" Sam trailed off.

"Or what?" Toni questioned.

"Or we fight." Sam finished.

~/~\~

Several people were sitting around Jody's living room while she handed out beer. Grace sat on Robert's lap and yawned.

"Feet off the table, Jerry." Jody reprimanded.

"Thanks." Dean smiled as he took a beer.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"That should be the last one," Jody commented as two men walked in.

"Walt. Roy." Sam greeted.

"Well, damn," Walt muttered.

"We haven't seen you guys since—

"Since you killed us," Angela commented. "No hard feelings."

"Uh, uh, please, get comfortable," Sam suggested.

"Sure about this?" Dean whispered.

"You gonna tell us what we're going here or what?" Walt demanded.

"Ah. Of course. Yeah." Sam nodded. "Um, so we—we, um…" he sighed. "No, you know what? I called you here because people… um, our people, are being slaughtered. And we're next. The British Men of Letters, they came here because they thought they could do our job better than we could." Sam explained. "And they hooked us with their flashy gear and their tech. Most of you had the good sense to turn 'em down. I didn't. They said they wanted the same thing we wanted, you know? A world free of monsters. That's not what they really wanted. They want control. They want to live in a world where they can sit in some office and decide who gets to live and who gets to die. And they've killed people. They've killed innocent people just because they got in the way. They think the ends justify the means," Sam spoke passionately. "But we know better. We know hunting isn't just about killing. It's about doing what's right, even when it's hard. So, we go by our gut, right? We play by our own rules, and that scares them. That's why they want us dead, 'cause we're the one thing they can't control."

"So, what do you want from us?" Roy spoke up.

"I want you to follow me," Sam answered. "Take the fight to them. To hit them before they hit us. We go in fast and hard and we fight and we beat them down until they give up or until they're dead. Look, they're well-trained and well-armed. Some of us might not make it back. But we will win. We will take down the bad guys because that's what we do. They're scared of us." Sam smirked. "Yeah. Good. They should be."


	44. Who We Are Part 2

_Sioux Falls, South Dakota_

"You know where we're goin'?" Jody tossed keys to Sam.

"Yep." He nodded.

"Gear up. We roll out in 10." Jody told the group of hunters.

"You guys ready?" Sam turned to Dean and Angela.

Dean and Angela looked at each other for a moment before they turned back to Sam.

"We're not going, baby," Angela replied gently. "I mean, I—I'm pregnant, and…"

"My leg busted up the way it is, I'm no good in a fight." Dean finished.

Sam nodded, understanding why Angela wanted to stay. But his brows furrowed slightly at Dean's response. "I-I'll take a jacked-up Dean Winchester over any 10 other hunters any day."

"Yeah." Dean pursed his lips. "Angie and I saw you. You're ready for this. You show those sons of bitches who's boss."

"What about you? What are you gonna do?" Sam asked.

"I'm gonna save Mom," Dean answered confidently. "Look, if she's in there, if our real Mom is in there somewhere, then I'm gonna try and find her, bring her back."

"You got this, baby." Angela smiled softly at Sam. "Come here."

Angela stood on her toes and kissed Sam deeply, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips.

"I love you, too, Sammy," she smiled broadly. "I love you so much."

Sam gave Angela one last peck on the lips before he pulled away and moved to hug Dean tightly. Dean patted him on the back.

"You come back," Dean told his little brother.

"Promise," Sam assured.

"Bitch."

"Jerk," Sam smirked as he pulled away.

"Yeah." Dean smiled lightly.

Grace ran over to Sam and hugged him. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Peanut." Sam beamed. "Be good for Mommy and Uncle Dean, okay?"

"Okay." Grace smiled.

Robert walked over and hugged Angela tightly. "I'll look after Sam, Pumpkin."

"Thanks, Dad." Angela murmured.

Robert and Sam smiled at Dean and Angela before they turned and walked out of Jody's house.

Dean turned around to face Toni. "Okay, you got inside my Mom's head once before. What about me? You get me in?"

"You? I…" Toni sighed. "Perhaps. But I need my rig."

"Where is it?" Angela questioned.

"At the base," Toni answered, earning skeptical looks from the hunters. "But I suppose with the right materials, I could cobble something together."

~/~\~

_Lebanon, Kansas_

Dean handcuffed Mary to a chair in the war room. "All right, where's the stuff you need?"

"Should be in storage, next to the dungeon." Toni moved to walk away, but Dean stopped her.

"Ah. Think we're lettin' you out of our sight?" Dean quirked a brow.

"Need I remind you that my organization left me to die? At this point, I'm not on anyone's side but my own. So, I help you try to save your mother, and when the dust clears…"

"What? We let you go?" Angela scoffed.

"I'd like to see my son again. I'm sure if you were in my position, you could relate." Toni retorted. "I'm not asking for a pass. I'm asking for a head start." She held up the handcuffs.

Dean sighed heavily, pondering for a moment before he unlocked the cuffs.

~/~\~

Toni was attaching electrodes to Mary's forehead and the handcuffs dangled from one wrist. "These electrodes sync your Delta waves with Mary's forming a psychic link."

Dean sat across from Mary with similar electrodes on his forehead. Angela stood next to him, holding Grace.

"But to enter her psyche will take a certain measure of concentration and skill," Toni continued as she adjusted some knobs on an old-looking machine. "And as there's no time to teach you how to reach the necessary therapeutic dream state, I'm banking on this." She held up a large syringe and injected the liquid into Mary's neck. "Hypnotic agents laced with a potent sedative."

"Ah." Mary groaned.

"It's enough to knock an elephant on its trunk," Toni commented.

Mary's eyes fluttered shut as she passed out. As Toni turned towards the table, Dean reached out and closed the handcuff around the table leg.

"Really?" Toni scoffed.

"Little insurance. You understand."

"This will hurt. You understand." Toni retorted sarcastically before injecting Dean in the neck.

"You got this, Dean," Angela assured as he quickly passed out.

~/~\~

_Dean 'woke up' sitting in a recliner in a nice suburban living room. He stood up and immediately noticed that his knee was no longer injured. He walked around the house and into the kitchen from his childhood. He started to walk up the stairs when he heard a baby cry. He turned toward the living room and there was now a large crib. He walked over and noticed the baby, wearing a blue onesie._

_"Sam." He whispered._

_Mary walked over, dressed in a pretty blue sundress. She bent over the crib, cooing at Sam, and covering him with a blanket. She smiled at the baby before she walked into the kitchen._

_"Dean, lunch is ready." She called out._

_A little boy dressed in a blue flannel walked into the kitchen and sat at the table. He started eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, with the crusts cut off, and Mary touched his head soothingly._

_"Mom," Dean started as he watched the scene. "We gotta get out of here, okay? You need to come with me." He begged, only to be met with silence. "Mom? Mom." He pleaded. "Mom!"_

~/~\~

Sam, Robert, Jody, and the other hunters pulled up to the British Men of Letters base and crashed through the gate. They got out of their trucks and started shooting at the armed guards outside of the compound.

"Get down!" Sam yelled as the guards shot at them.

~/~\~

_Dean walked over to Mary, who was standing at the kitchen sink._

_"Look, I know that they messed with your head, okay? I know it feels better in here. It feels safer. But I-I need you to hear me." Dean begged._

_Mary turned towards the little boy at the table. "I was thinking maybe we should take Sammy to the park later, before Daddy gets home. Sound good?"_

_"Mom, look at me." Dean grabbed Mary's arm._

_She hesitated for a moment before she pulled out of his grasp and walked over to the oven. Dean stared at his hand for a moment and looked up at Mary, as if realizing something. The oven door squeaked as Mary pulled a pie out of the oven._

_"You're choosing this," Dean whispered in disbelief._

_"Your favorite." Mary sang._

_"Yes," the little boy beamed excitedly._

_"After you eat," Mary chuckled as she knelt next to her son. "I only want good things for you, Dean. I'll never let anything bad happen to you."_

_Dean watched the scene unfold and shook his head. "I hate you."_

~/~\~

The hunters placed explosives on the outside of the door while the guards stood on the other side, guns at the ready. There was an explosion and the door was blown open violently. The hunters threw a canister into the building and smoke started to fill the hallway. Under the smokescreen the hunters advanced into the bunker, exchanging gunshots with the guards.

"Go, go, go, go, go," Sam instructed.

A hunter and two guards were shot, and the hunters, led by Sam, Robert, and Jody, continued moving through the bunker.

"Go!" Robert yelled. "Hurry! Hurry!"

~/~\~

_"You lied to me. I was a kid." Dean whispered, hurt lacing his voice._

_Mary went back to the sink, almost as if she was pretending not to hear Dean._

_"You promised you'd keep me safe," he continued. "And then you made a deal with Azazel. Yeah, it saved Dad's life, but I'll tell you something else that happened." his voice cracked. "Because on November 2, 1983, old Yellow Eyes came waltzing into Sammy's room, because of your deal."_

_Mary turned abruptly and walked past Dean to Sam's crib in the living room._

_"You left us," Dean followed her. "Alone. 'Cause Dad was just a shell. His perfect wife? Gone. Our perfect Mom, the perfect family… was gone. And I… I had to be… more than just a brother. I had to be a father and I had to be a mother, to keep him safe. And that wasn't fair. And I couldn't do it. And you wanna know what that was like?" he asked as he walked around Mary to look at her directly, but she turned away. "They killed the girl that he loved. He got possessed by Lucifer. They tortured him in Hell. And he lost his soul. His soul." Dean's eyes filled with tears. "All because of you. All of it was because of you."_

~/~\~

The machines were beeping as Mary and Dean remained in their dream state. Mary had tears running down her face as Angela and Toni looked on.

~/~\~

_"I hate you." Dean's voice broke as tears ran down his face. "I hate you. And I love you. 'Cause I can't—I can't help it. You're my Mom. And I understand… 'cause I have made deals to save the ones I love more than once. I forgive you." He assured. "I forgive you. For all of it. Everything. On the other side of this, we can start over, okay? You, me, Sam, Angie, Robert, Gracie. We can get it right this time." Dean begged. "But I need you to fight. Right now, I need you to fight. I need you—I need you to look at me, Mom. I need you to really look at me and see me. Mom, I need you to see me. Please."_

_Mary turned around slowly and looked up at Dean, eyes widening. "Dean?"_

_"Mom." He breathed out in relief._

~/~\~

Dean's head snapped back and the electrodes were being ripped off of his head. Mary was still unconscious and Dean looked around to see that Toni was on the floor with her throat slit, and Angela and Grace were nowhere in sight. He looked up to see Ketch facing him.

"No," Dean muttered.

"Oh, yes," Ketch smirked smugly.

Dean lunged towards Ketch and they began to fight violently. Ketch threw Dean against the bookcase and he slid across the floor. Dean groaned as he struggled to get up as Ketch walked towards him.

"Oh, what? Thought you'd get your Mum back?" he taunted. "Sorry, Dean. Not how this ends."

Dean got up and Ketch kicked him in the back of his knee.

"This ends with me ending you," Ketch continued. "And Angela once I get my hands on her."

"I'm gonna kill you," Dean promised as he stood up.

"You won't," Ketch chuckled. "But I'd very much enjoy it if you tried."

~/~\~

Sam and Robert moved through the bunker and shot at two guards, killing them instantly.

~/~\~

"You want to know what your mother said about you, Dean? All those long days and even longer nights out on the road, hunting? Hmm?" Ketch grabbed Dean by the collar and punched him in the face. "Absolutely nothing." He sneered as he hauled Dean up from the floor. "Ah. This is fun."

Dean growled and threw Ketch across the room, breaking through a table.

~/~\~

Dr. Hess ran through the hall and approached a locked door. She placed her hand on the pad alongside it and as it beeped to allow her entry, Jody grabbed her shoulder. Dr. Hess turned around and elbowed her in the face. As Jody stumbled along the wall, Sam and Robert entered and ran towards Dr. Hess as she entered the other room.

"Hey!" Sam yelled.

As the door closed and Robert tried to get in, Walt came into the hall.

"I got this," Walt said.

"Yeah." Robert nodded.

~/~\~

Ketch attacked Dean with a table leg from the broken furniture. He managed to get a few blows in and then pushed Dean up against the wall, the table leg pushing across his chest and neck. After several seconds, Dean lunged forward, grabbing the table leg from Ketch and hitting him. Ketch remained with his back to Dean, trying to recover.

Dean panted heavily and leaned on a nearby chair. "When you left us alone in the bunker, man, I knew you were psycho, but I didn't think you were stupid."

"I may be many things…" Ketch turned towards Dean, pointing a gun at him. "But I am not stupid."

Ketch raised his gun towards Dean's head and a gunshot rang out. Ketch cried out, dropped his gun, and grabbed his now bleeding shoulder. As Dean looked past him, Ketch turned around and saw Mary standing there, gun pointed at him.

"Mom?" Dean breathed out.

"Mary." Ketch looked at her sadly.

Ketch fell to his knees and Dean limped past him, kicking the gun away, and stood next to Mary.

"I…" Ketch grunted. "I knew you were a killer. You both are."

"You're right." Dean agreed as Mary shot Ketch, killing him.

~/~\~

The door to the room busted open in a loud explosion. Sam, Robert, Jody, and Walt ran into the room as Dr. Hess reached for a gun on the table.

"Don't!" Sam yelled. "Don't."

"Listen, Dean—

"It's Sam." He corrected. "And you must be Hess, I trust. You're in charge of this whole operation? Or, uh, what's left of it?"

"Sam, you might think it in your best interest to kill me, to end all of this here."

Sam shrugged. "Mm."

"But shooting me now, severing all ties with the British Men of Letter," Dr. Hess continued. "At this particular moment, that would be a grievous mistake."

"Doubt it." Robert scoffed.

Dr. Hess walked slowly to grab a folder off the table. "There are reasons to reconsider. Things that you don't know."

Dr. Hess dropped the folder in front of Sam and he opened it and saw grainy photos of Lucifer.

"What are these?" he demanded.

"Lucifer is back," she answered, and Sam's body froze. "Yes, Sam. All thanks to your good friend Crowley. Not that it did him much good. Crowley's dead. And the Devil is out looking for him son, following its mother's footsteps, tracking her and your friend the angel. If Lucifer gets his hands on that child, they'll be unstoppable. You can't face that alone. You need us."

 _"Listen to her, boy."_ The voice on the computer monitor said.

Sam pondered for a moment before shooting at the monitor. "Pass."

"You bastard." Dr. Hess sneered.

She grabbed her gun off of the table and aimed it at Sam. Before she could shoot him, Robert shot her directly in the head and Dr. Hess slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood.

~/~\~

As the hunters drove away from the British Men of Letters base, it exploded violently.

~/~\~

Dean walked into the room, shaking a pill bottle, and Angela and Grace followed behind. Mary was cleaning up from Dean's fight with Ketch, who was lying under a bloodied sheet on the floor.

"Found some expired prescription painkillers, so…" Dean chuckled. "Lucky me. And I found these two, safe and sound."

"Mary, you don't have to do that," Angela commented as Mary cleaned. "It's not your job."

"This… All of this is because of me." Mary muttered ashamedly.

"It's gonna be okay," Dean assured.

"It's _not_ okay." Mary sighed as she walked towards them. "Since I've been back, I know… I've been distant. Cold, even. I haven't gotten to know my daughter-in-law or my granddaughter. Leaving you, working with them… I was trying to make things right. Just from a distance, because… being here with you was too hard. Seeing what I'd done to you and to Sam, I…"

"Mom, what you did, the deal… everything that's happened since has made us who we are. And who we are? We kick ass." Dean smirked, turning toward Angela. "Don't we, kiddo?"

"Definitely kick ass." Angela smiled.

"We save the world," Dean added.

"I'm scared. What… What if he can't forgive me?" Mary whispered.

Sam and Robert walked into the room.

"Mom," Sam started. "You don't have to be scared of me."

He walked over and hugged Mary tightly. Dean, Angela, and Grace walked over.

"Glad you're back, baby." Angela smiled.

Sam pulled his family into a tight hug, relishing the moment together.


	45. All Along the Watchtower Part 1

_Lebanon, Kansas_

"Okay, let me just get this straight," Dean started. "So… we beat the Brits, we kicked their psycho, tea-swilling asses, and instead of popping champagne and headin' to Vegas, we get Lucifer."

Mary adjusted Grace on her lap. "And you're sure it's him?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded as he looked at the photo. "That's his old vessel, too."

"How is that possible?" Robert asked.

"Crowley, I guess." Sam shrugged.

"And now he's dead." Mary's brows furrowed.

"Well, that's what Hess said," Angela replied skeptically. "But Crowley's a freaking cockroach. I'll believe he's gone when I see the body and burn it."

"We don't need Crowley. We need Rowena." Sam replied. "I mean, she's the one who can slam Lucifer back into the Cage."

"Great. So, where is she?" Robert questioned.

Sam called Rowena and waited for a few moments as the phone rang.

 _"Oh, hey, Sammy."_ Lucifer's voice rang through.

Sam inhaled sharply and looked at Angela, a hint of fear in his eyes.

Angela's brows furrowed in concern. "What is it, baby?"

Sam put the phone on speaker so everyone could hear.

 _"Oh, if you're looking for Rowena, she is presently indisposed,"_ Lucifer commented. _"Which is a delicate way of saying, I stomped on her face till the white meat showed, and then set her on fire, just in case. Ah. Gingers. It was messy and… screamy, but it had to be done, Sam. I'm about to be a dad. You can understand that, right? Can't raise the little nipper from a jail cell now, can I? Speaking of… you know where your little pal Castiel is?"_

"Go to hell." Sam clenched his jaw angrily.

 _"Ooh! Good one."_ Lucifer retorted sarcastically. _"Witty. I'll use that in the future. All right, well, I'd love to chat with ya, but, uh, why waste my time, right? It's not like you matter. I don't need to put on the old Sam suit anymore, do I?"_

Angela's eyes lit up angrily. "You know, if you think we're just gonna let you walk—

 _"Oh, hey, Angie!"_ Lucifer interrupted. _"I know you guys are gonna try, you know, whatever. Whatever you're gonna try. But you can't kill me."_ He taunted. _"You've never been able to kill me. And with, uh, witch bitch gone, you can't put me back in the Cage, so like I said… you don't matter. Okay? Buh-bye. Buh-bye."_ He finished before ending the call.

~/~\~

"You know," Dean limped into the room. "Lucifer's right. We can't kill him and we can't slam his ass back in the Cage."

"Yeah. Okay." Sam closed his laptop. "So, maybe we play for time. Find Cas and Kelly, keep 'em moving. If Lucifer can't find them, he can't hurt them."

"You think Castiel is gonna go along with that?" Robert asked.

"You think we'll give him a choice?" Dean retorted.

"And the baby?" Mary questioned.

"Hopefully, we can still siphon off its grace," Angela answered. "If not, uh… we'll figure something else out."

"Yeah, we better," Dean muttered.

"All right, then." Mary grabbed her gun. "Kind of always wanted to punch the Devil in the face. So, how do we find them?"

"All right, look, we know Kelly's gonna have that kid soon. Like, really soon. And according to the lore, whenever a Nephilim is born, there are signs." Sam explained. "Uh, storms, outbreaks of disease, uh, plague of locusts."

"Things get Biblical." Angela clarified.

"Exactly." Sam nodded. "That much power into the world, whenever and wherever it happens, things get weird."

"So, we're looking for something… weird," Mary replied.

"Yeah. Story of our lives." Dean smirked.

~/~\~

"Hey, listen to this," Dean handed Sam his iPad. "Two-headed calf was born in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. That's weird."

"That is weird." Mary agreed.

"Yeah, but not our kind of weird," Sam muttered. "Look, whatever this thing is gonna be, it—it's gonna be big and bad—

"You rang?" Crowley appeared in one of the chairs. "Hello, boys. Bambi."

Angela punched Crowley square in the face and held the demon blade to his throat. "Did you do it? Did you let Lucifer out?!"

"I didn't 'let'—

"Don't!" Angela snapped angrily.

"Moose, a little help here!" Crowley pleaded.

Sam sighed heavily. "Angie, wait."

"Seriously?" Angela, Dean, Mary, and Robert asked simultaneously.

"Look, just don't kill him. He worked the Cage spell with Rowena." Sam reminded. "Maybe he can help us."

"And what if he can't?" Robert asked.

"Well, _then_ we kill him." Sam shrugged.

Angela huffed and let go of Crowley, who stood up and put the chair upright.

"Cage spell? Thought you had mother for that."

"Rowena's dead," Dean informed.

"Really?" Crowley asked skeptically.

"Yeah, really. Lucifer." Sam replied.

"Funny," he mused. "I always thought I'd be the one to kill her."

"Crowley… why did you do it? Save Lucifer—What did you want?" Sam asked curiously.

"I wanted to win," he answered. "I perverted mother's spell, put Lucifer in a vessel of my own making because I wanted to win. You have any idea how many people have made a play for my throne over the years? Lucifer, Abaddon, blah, blah, blah, blah. Too damn many! I thought if I could put the Devil on a leash… my own personal nuke, no one would ever dare challenge me again."

"Yeah. That worked out great." Dean muttered sarcastically.

"All ended with me narrowly escaping death by hiding in a rat."

"Wait," Robert frowned. "In an… actual rat?"

"Wasn't too bad, really," Crowley admitted. "Gave me time to think. You know, I've been focused for so long on keeping my job. Never realized I hate it. All those whining demons, the endless moans of damned souls, the paperwork! I mean, who wants that?"

"You." Sam scoffed.

"Unh-unh. Once, maybe."

"So, why are you here?" Sam questioned.

"Well, whenever there's a world-ending crisis at hand, I know where to place my bets. It's on you, you big, beautiful, lumbering piles of flannel. So if you'll forgive my transgression, I'll make it worth your while."

"Which means?" Dean narrowed his eyes.

"After we put Lucifer back in his cage—together—I'll seal off the Gates of Hell." Crowley offered. "You'll never see another demon again, apart from, of course, yours truly."

"You would do that?" Mary raised her brows.

"Why not? They stab me in the back, I'll happily stab them in the front, the sides, and right up their black-eyed asses. So… we have a deal?"

~/~\~

"This is what you do when I'm not here?" Crowley asked as he watched the hunters research. "Type?"

"Yep," Dean muttered.

"Wait a second," Sam started. "I got something. Okay, two hours ago, there was a massive power outage in the Pacific Northwest."

"Sounds like the right kind of weird," Mary replied.

"Oh, yeah." Sam agreed. "Wait. They tracked the outage to an address in North Cove, Washington, to a house currently being rented by one James Novak."

"That's Cas," Dean replied. "Let's roll."

"It's about time." Crowley groaned impatiently as he stood up.

Angela swiftly stabbed the demon knife through his hand, pinning Crowley to the table.

"Aah!"

"Think we're gonna trust you out there after what you pulled?" Angela glared icily. "Hmm? No. You stay here, you sit down, and you shut up."


	46. All Along the Watchtower Part 2

_North Cove, Washington_

The lights in the house flickered and Castiel heard the Impala pull up outside. He went downstairs to investigate, armed with his angel blade.

"Dean?" his brows furrowed.

"Cas, is this place warded?" Sam questioned with a sense of urgency.

"Yes, heavily," Castiel confirmed.

"Heavy enough to stop Lucifer?" Angela asked.

"Lucifer?" Castiel's brows shot up.

"He could be right behind us," Mary replied.

"I don't… What are you doing here?" Castiel asked confusedly.

"Saving your ass." Dean snapped.

"You and Kelly just taking off was a stupid move," Sam reprimanded. "But there's no way we're letting Lucifer get his hands on that kid. It ain't happening."

"Look, Sam's right, okay?" Dean agreed. "We'll work through our crap. We always do. But right now, we are here to get you, get Kelly, and get gone."

"She can't be moved. She's having a—

Kelly groaned loudly in pain from upstairs.

"Mary and I will go check on her," Angela told everyone as she picked up Grace.

"How much time do we have?" Castiel asked as Mary and Angela walked upstairs.

"We don't know." Sam sighed.

"Hey, if he shows, can you flame on again? Can you torch Lucifer like you did Dagon?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. No, that wasn't me." Castiel answered. "That was the child. And in case you haven't noticed, he's a little busy."

Dean bent down and grasped his injured knee, hissing in pain. "Aah. Son of a bitch."

"Here, Dean," Castiel walked towards him.

"Mm."

"Let me." Castiel tapped Dean's forehead and healed him.

Dean chuckled lightly. "Thanks."

"All right, we should double-check the warding," Sam suggested as he walked toward the back door.

"Wait," Castiel turned to follow him.

"Right. So listen, if we, uh…" Sam stepped out the back door and saw the golden rift. "Cas? What is that?"

"It's a tear in space and time." He answered.

"Uh, and that means?" Robert asked.

"It's a doorway to another world."

"Anoth—What, like Narnia?" Dean questioned.

"No." Castiel shook his head. "No, through there it's Earth, but… but different. It's a—It's an alternate reality."

"So, it's a Bizzaro world?" Sam's brows creased. "Or—or like the place we got zapped to where we were, uh, uh, actors on a TV show?"

"Oh, yeah. The supernatural wasn't real." Dean recalled.

"Yeah."

"Yeah. And you were Polish. And I was married to Angie." Dean added.

"R-right," Sam muttered.

"What?" Robert's brows furrowed.

"Long story," Dean replied.

"Wait, Cas, how did this get here?" Sam asked the angel.

"Well, the child being born, his power, it seems to be puncturing the fabric of our universe."

"Awesome," Dean muttered sarcastically.

"Yeah." Sam scoffed. "And what exactly is on the other side?"

"You don't wanna know," Castiel answered grimly.

"Probably." Dean nodded in agreement. "But we need to."

Castiel relented and led them through the rift into the alternate universe.

~/~\~

_Alternate World_

"Whoa," Sam looked around the gray, desolate land.

"Cas, what is this?" Dean asked.

"As I said, it's—it's Earth." He answered. "But this Earth is locked in an eternal war between Heaven and Hell. There are armies of angels fighting hoards of demons, and the few humans that remain are caught in between."

"How do you know that?" Robert asked.

"A friend told me."

"Oh, good," Dean muttered. "Now you're makin' friends? That's… All right, on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is this?"

"I don't know." Sam scoffed. "I gotta say, a, uh, hole in reality to a bombed-out Apocalypse world? I'm gonna go with 11."

"Sounds right." Dean nodded.

"You don't have to worry," Castiel assured. "The child, he opened this door. He'll close it."

"You sure about that?" Dean quirked a brow.

"I have faith."

"Really? In your unborn baby-God?" Dean rolled his eyes.

"Yes." Castiel nodded.

"Well, then, you're a dumbass," Dean argued as a hooded figure moved through the mist toward them.

Sam pulled out his gun. "Guys. Guys!"

"Hey! Hands in the air!" Robert warned.

"No. Don't." Castiel stopped them as the figure removed the scarf covering his face.

Sam's eyes widened in disbelief. "Bobby?"

"Do I know you?" Bobby eyed them suspiciously.

"Bobby… Sam. Dean. Cas." Sam's brows furrowed.

"Uh-huh. You say that like it's supposed to mean something to me, but… naw."

"Sam, this is Bobby, but it's not your B—

"Bobby, it's us." Dean interrupted. "Sam and Dean Winchester."

"The only Winchester I ever heard of was John," Bobby replied.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "John Winchester, our father."

"Doubt it." Bobby scoffed. "He's dead. Been dead over 40 years now. Only reason I know about him is this hunter I ran with, Mary Campbell. You get a few pints of shine in her, and she always told the same story about the man she loved—John Winchester. Azazel killed her about 10 years ago."

"Cas, what the hell is this?" Sam demanded.

"This is a world where you were never born." He answered. "It's a world you never saved."

~/~\~

_North Cove, Washington_

Kelly was lying in her bed, sweating and breathing heavily.

"Aah!" she cried out as a contraction ripped through her body.

"Okay. I think they're less than five minutes apart now." Angela murmured.

"It's almost time," Mary added gently. "How you doin'?"

"I'm dying." Kelly's voice broke.

"We know." Angela stroke Kelly's hair comfortingly.

"But that's okay," Kelly smiled sadly. "'Cause wouldn't you die for your kids?"

Mary nodded and Angela looked at Grace and put a hand on her own pregnant belly.

"Yeah." The two women murmured in understanding.

~/~\~

_Apocalypse World_

"When this…" Bobby looked at the rift. "Whatever opened up, all sorts'a alarms went off back at my place. I got here just in time to see your boy get ambushed by a tempter demon."

"A what?" Robert frowned.

"It's, um… black eyes, pointed teeth, horns," Castiel informed.

"Wait a second," Sam started. "Demons have horns now?"

"Whole new world, Sam," Dean replied.

"Usually I gun down flyboys on sight. But, uh, he looked… different." Bobby eyed Castiel. "Wasn't wearing a necklace made out of baby ears, for one thing."

"We got to talking about where I came from and our two worlds," Castiel added.

"From what he says, pretty much peaches and cream on your side," Bobby noted.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. It's better than this." Dean looked around.

"Well, I don't know." Bobby shrugged. "Ain't so bad here, if you like killing angels."

"And you do?" Robert asked.

"It's my hobby and my passion," Bobby answered. "So… I figured, it's only a matter of time before the dicks upstairs get wind'a this. And when they show… me and Rufus go to work." He held up his gun. "He's loaded with a hundred rounds, cast from old angel blades."

"Wait, angel-killing bullets? Awesome." Dean smirked, receiving a glare from Castiel.

~/~\~

_North Cove, Washington_

Kelly sobbed in pain as another contraction ripped through her body and she gripped each of Mary and Angela's hands.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Castiel, and Robert returned to their world through the rift.

"Are you all right?" Castiel asked.

"No, Cas. Pretty far from all right." Dean answered. "I mean, we've got Lucifer on this side, we've got Mad Max World on that side. I mean, yeah, we've been down before, but this? I-I mean, I don't even know where to start." He turned around and groaned when Crowley appeared. "Oh, come on!"

"Hello, boys. Again."

Sam's brows furrowed. "Wait a second, how the hell did you—

Crowley held up his bloody, bandaged hand. "I improvised. Lucky I did. Turns out I'm the answer to all your problems."

~/~\~

Mary and Angela each held Kelly's hands when Castiel knocked on the door.

"May I speak with her?" he asked.

"Sure." Angela nodded.

"Angie. Mary." Kelly looked at the women, a twinge of fear in her eyes.

"We'll be back," Mary assured.

"Okay." Kelly nodded.

Mary and Angela stood up, and Angela picked up Grace as they walked out of the room.

"Cas… what's wrong?" Kelly asked.

~/~\~

Downstairs, Dean readied their weapons and handed Sam and Robert their guns.

"You guys ready?" Dean asked.

"Nope," Sam replied honestly. "When has that ever stopped us?"

"Yeah." Dean agreed. "You know, Cas has faith in this kid."

"Mm." Sam hummed.

"I hope he's right. But me? I have faith in us. You, me, Angie, Mom, Robert, Cas. And Crowley. Sometimes."

"Mm." Robert chuckled.

"This is gonna work. It has to." Dean muttered.

~/~\~

Lucifer sauntered up to Sam, Dean, Castiel, and Robert.

"Well… this is a fun surprise. I gotta hand it to you guys. You never give up, even when you should. Even when it would be so stupid not to."

"Look, whatever you're planning on doing, Chuck… God will stop you, just like he did last time." Sam glared.

"You're right. What should I do? Oh, God! Don't strike me dead!" Lucifer mocked. "Come on, Sam. You sound like a virgin in Jesus camp. 'We can't. God is watching.' No. Chuck 'walked.' He's gone."

"So, you're just gonna smash his toys?" Robert scoffed.

"Exactly," Lucifer nodded. "'Cause every time I look at this sad trash fire of a world, you know what I keep thinking? I could do so much better."

"So, Apocalypse, take two," Dean replied. "That's your plan?"

"When in doubt, go with the classics." Lucifer shrugged. "That's always what I say. Well, boys, enough with the foreplay. Let's go this."

"See you on the other side, boys," Dean muttered.

Castiel charged at Lucifer with his angel blade, but Lucifer batted him aside easily.

"Aah!" Castiel yelled in pain.

"Well, that worked," Lucifer commented sarcastically.

Sam, Dean, and Robert looked at Castiel, then at each other, then took off running around toward the back of the house.

"Mature. Real mature!" Lucifer scoffed as he strolled around the house after them. "You guys? I really want to enjoy this. Really wanna savor just ripping you apart, getting' all up in there, and getting' all gooey. But, you know, little slugger's almost here and, uh… Well, I'm on the clock."

Lucifer saw Sam, Dean, and Robert standing by the rift and stopped. Dean reached out and touched the rift, and the three of them disappeared into the alternate world.

"Interesting," Lucifer muttered as he followed them.

~/~\~

_Alternate World_

"Mm. Nice." Lucifer muttered as he looked around.

"You wanted the Apocalypse?" Sam asked from behind him. "You got it."

Lucifer turned around to see Sam and Robert. "Sammy. Robert. Hey. Where's Dean?"

"Right here," Dean replied, pointing Bobby's angel killing gun at Lucifer.

Lucifer turned around and smirked. "Ooh. Sweet toy."

"Yeah, I got it off an old—new pals of mine. See, we have this bet, see if it works against an archangel. So… say hello to my little friend."

Dean opened fire on Lucifer while Sam and Robert ran off to where Crowley was hidden behind a rock, crafting a spell.

"Took you long enough." Crowley sassed.

"Not now, Crowley. Come on." Sam rushed.

"Yeah, baby! Come on!" Dean yelled as he continued shooting Lucifer before his gun finally clicked empty.

"We do this ritual, we seal that rift, and we lock the Devil in this godforsaken place. That's the plan, remember?" Crowley reminded. "Two birds, one spell."

"Right, right. Just hurry." Robert pressed.

Sam peeked over the rock to see Lucifer advance on Dean, grab him, and start hitting him.

"You lose," Lucifer smirked.

Sam crouched back down to help with the spell. "Uh, Dead Sea brine, uh, mercury, lamb's blood, holy oil. Here we go. That's the last of it. That's everything."

"No, it's not." Crowley sighed.

"What?" Robert frowned.

"If we wanna seal that rip, we need one more minor ingredient."

"What?" Sam pressed.

"A life," Crowley answered.

"Ah, I could do this all day." Lucifer kicked Dean. "You make such funny noises."

Suddenly, Lucifer was flung away from Dean by an invisible force.

"Surprise." Crowley greeted.

"Crowley!" Lucifer laughed as Sam and Robert rushed over to help Dean up and pull him toward the rift. "You sneaky little… So, I guess I get to kill you twice, huh, Crowley?"

"I doubt it." Crowley scoffed.

"Oh, no, no. You had your chance. You could've put me back in the Cage, but… you had to make it personal, didn't you?"

Sam, Dean, and Robert stopped by the rift and watched Crowley and Lucifer.

"You're right." Crowley pursed his lips. "It is personal. You humiliated me. I… I hate you. Deeply. Truly. I'm gonna enjoy wiping that smug, self-satisfied look off your face. Personally."

"You mean… this one?" Lucifer grinned smugly as Crowley let his angel blade drop into his hand. "Come on, Crowley. You know whatever you try, you're gonna lose."

"You're right." Crowley nodded as he turned to Sam, Dean, and Robert. "Bye, boys."

Crowley stabbed himself with his angel blade and fell to the ground, dead. Sam, Dean, and Robert watched, stunned, as Castiel barged through the rift and pushed past them.

"Cas?" Dean asked worriedly.

"No, come on. Come on!" Robert urged.

"Cas!" Dean fought against them. "Cas! Cas!"

"No, no, no, no, no, no! We gotta go! We gotta go!" Sam yelled.

Dean tried to stop Castiel, but he advanced on Lucifer with his blade drawn, while Sam and Robert dragged Dean back through the rift.

~/~\~

_North Cove, Washington_

Kelly started delivering the baby and began to glow.

"I love you." She whispered.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of golden light that knocked Mary and Angela across the room.

"Mommy! Grandma!" Grace cried.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Robert got to their feet. Dean looked at the fading rift in shock, when Castiel came back through.

"Cas," Sam smiled in relief.

The rift flared behind Castiel, and an angel blade pierced his chest from behind.

"No!" Dean cried out, his eyes widening.

Castiel fell to the ground, revealing Lucifer standing behind them, holding the bloodied angel blade. Robert took his own angel blade and lunged at Lucifer. However, Lucifer grabbed Robert and threw him through the rift.

"Robert!" Sam yelled.

"That was fun," Lucifer smirked. "Seriously guys, points for trying. Super impressed, but, uh… playtime's over."

"Get away from them." Mary glared as she, Angela, and Grace walked up.

"Mary, right?" Lucifer asked. "Yeah, I've heard about you. You, uh, are certainly living up to the hype. Look, seriously, I just wanted to say thank you for everything. I owe ya, kid."

Behind her back, Mary activated the angelic brass knuckles and took a step toward Lucifer.

"Mom," Sam stopped her. "Mom, Mom."

"I love you." She whispered before punching Lucifer in the face.

"Cute." He chuckled. "Is that all you got, mama?"

Mary punched him again, and again, and he dropped the angel blade beside Castiel's body. She continued punching him, each blow lighting up the red grace beneath his skin. She punched him back toward the rift, and as he was about to fall through, he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him.

"Mom!" Dean cried out as the rift flared brightly before it disappeared altogether. "Mom, Mom! No!"

~/~\~

Angela looked around, frowning when she noticed Robert wasn't around. "Sammy, where's Dad?"

Sam shook himself from his frozen state and looked at his wife sadly. "Baby, I-I'm sorry. Lucifer, he… he threw him into the Apocalypse world."

"What?" Angela's voice cracked. "No, no—

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." Sam hugged his wife tightly as she sobbed.

"Mommy, Unca Cas…" Grace tugged on Angela's sleeve.

Angela looked up and saw Castiel's body. She let out a pained cry and her body shook as she sobbed. Meanwhile, Dean looked from the vanished rift over to Castiel.

"No!" he yelled. "No. No, no, no, no, no."

Sam noticed a glowing, flickering light coming from inside the house. "Baby, stay here. Stay here, I'm gonna be right back. I promise."

"Sam—

She couldn't finish before Sam pulled away and ran towards the house. Angela practically crumbled to the ground, sobbing violently. Grace hugged her mother, sniffling quietly.

Dean stood over Castiel, then dropped to his knees sadly, almost not believing that he was dead.

~/~\~

Sam walked into Kelly's room and saw her body on the bed. He closed her eyes and froze when he heard a noise coming from the nursery. He followed scorched footprints and noticed someone sitting in the corner in the dark, their eyes glowing ominously golden


End file.
